The Lizard Girl and The Turtle Boy
by DarkClawNear
Summary: I know it's a terrible title. DX A young girl, who is a misfit in a world she was born in, gets caught in a life of aliens, robots, ninjas and mutants. Let's join Eleanor Herbshadow and her adventures with four mutant turtles and find out if she is able to live the life she dreams.
1. Rise of the Turtles Prt 1

Rise of the Turtles Prt 1.

**Eleanor's POV.**

_-Beep- -Beep- -Bee- _Everyday is the same routine. Wake up from my alarm, get ready for school, feed my lizard, daily bullying from the family, the whole shebang.

I sat up from my sleeping form. My hair in a large mess, indicating I had the same dream again. *Sigh* Third time this week. I jumped out of my bed and made my way to the bathroom, to start my morning routine. I tiredly brushed my teeth and washed my face. I stared at the mirror and saw a blurred image of a dark-skinned person. I wasn't wearing my glasses. I found my glasses on the counter and put them on.

I looked again and saw a dark-skinned girl, with chin-length, black hair with green and blue streaks, and mis-matched eyes, left eye is hazel, while right eye is light blue, that doesn't belong where she is now. Around my eyes, I saw very dark rings, indicating years of no sleep or crying. I've been crying in my sleep again. I definitely had that dream again.

Oh, forgive me. **はじめまして****. **(Hajimemashite/Nice to meet you.) My name is Eleanor Chu'mana Herbshadow. But, my friends call me Ellie or Elle. I'm 14 years old and I'm just your normal high school student from New York. Well, I'm not really. No one is actually normal, are they? I'm of Native American and Japanese heritage. And I'm the black sheep of my family. Black sheep are not tolerated in my family lines. Trust me.

What makes me the black sheep? Well, for as far as I can remember, I've able to do things that average humans cannot do. I have dreams that I remember so well, that they happen a few days, or weeks, after I dream them. Such as my father's hockey promotion. I also dream of other people's past, sometimes I am able to see or hear it. I also have amazing photographic memory. And I'm a natural in martial arts and free-running. My family don't like it, so they treat me like I'm not one of them. Eh, it's life.

You wanna know about my dream? Well, okay. It's like every-time I have this dream. I'm at a garden house, in Tokyo. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A man passes by me. He turns to apologize, then leaves. Inside the house, I meet a woman. She was very beautiful and very kind. In her arms was a baby girl. She looked just like her mother.

After meeting the woman, everything started going downhill. The house caught fire and collapsed. The woman died in the collapsed house. The baby taken away by a shadowed figure. The man survived, but depressed by his loss. Finally, everything around me goes black.

Once everything cleared, I find myself in an alley of New York. In front of me are four boys, wearing different colors, brothers by the look of them. They were always in the same order; blue, red, purple and orange. Behind me is a tall man in metallic armor. I couldn't see their faces, but I still remember the boys as clear as day. I wonder why.

The boy in blue reaches out his hand to me. I felt like I could trust him and his brothers. As I begin to move, the man begins to dash toward me. I wake up as soon as I touch the boy's hand, and the man got his claws on me.

Anyway, back to my life. I got dressed into my casual wear, which consisted of a green headband, a black and blue scarf, a black tank top, a pair of green and black finger-less gloves, two brown leather belts with straps that hold weapons, a dark red mini-skirt with black leggings underneath and black and purple sneakers. I walked into my room and turned on my pet lizard's heat lamp.

My pet lizard, Nelli, is a two year old Solomon Island Prehensile-Tailed Skink. I named her after the Renaissance painter, Suor Plautina Nelli. "Good morning, Nelli. Did you sleep well?" I called and asked.

Nelli opened her eyes, looked at me and licked her lips, as if she was greeting me and asking me for breakfast.

I smiled, "Okay. Give me one second." I walked over to my closet and got a small tub of Nelli's favorite meal; apple slices and spinach leaves. I gave Nelli two slices and ten leaves and she began picking on them, one by one.

I felt envious of Nelli. Being part of nature and not needing to be judged by any form of characteristics. It must feel very peaceful. My train of thought was broken by my father's voice.

"Eleanor! Breakfast is ready." He called.

I got my school stuff into my backpack and made my way to the dining room. My senior college student sister, Asami, was already sitting at the table, with a mischievous grin of her face.

My father placed a plate in front of me and my sister. On my plate was tofu waffles with strawberries. On Asami's was eggs, bacon and toast with jam. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you I'm a vegetarian. I really don't like meat. It always tastes rotten in my mouth.

"**おはよう、妹****. **(Ohayō, imōto/Good morning, little sister) Would you like to know something interesting?" Asami greeted, then asked, before taking a bite of a strip of bacon.

"**おはよう、お姉さん****.** (Ohayō, onēsan/Good morning, elder sister) And I don't really care anymore." I answered with a sigh and a deadpan tone to my voice.

"Did you know that a woman's best feature is her eyes? And when I look at your odd, mis-matched, creepy eyes, do you know what I see?" She continued, then asked.

I sighed, "Go ahead. Tell me."

"A mis-matched freak that doesn't in this society!" She answers, then bursts into a fit of laughter. Father couldn't help but join her.

I sighed again, put on my backpack, walked out of the front door and made my way to school. Asami always finds a way to bully me. Last year, it was facts about my hair being too long or too dark. The year before was about being too into our Native American heritage. I didn't choose to look like the way I do. But, I never complain about it.

Half-way to school, and I bump into my best friend, April O'Neil. She is a 16 year old Caucasian girl with natural ginger hair, which she ties in a ponytail with a headband, and light blue eyes. She wore her casual, yellow shirt, short, denim shorts, black leggings and brown boots.

April and I were childhood pen-pals, when I was at my birth-town, Sparwood, British Colombia. The hometown of the Terex 33-19; Titan. I moved to New York when I was only 10 years old, due to my parents getting job promotions, and they accepted. April and I met at Elementary School and became close friends in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, Ellie. Looking forward to tonight?" April greeted and asked. Tonight is gonna be a night to remember. Kirby, April's father, is treating us out to a movie, then we're having a sleep-over at her place. It's gonna be fun.

I smiled in excitement, "You betcha."

The day at school went by quite quickly. Classes weren't boring, like they were yesterday. Recess was fun and everyone minded their own business. I think it was because next week was Spring Break. But, I don't have any plans for such an occasion. Just practice my free-running skills and ninjutsu.

You heard right. I know ninjutsu. I've been learning since I was five years old, by one of the best martial arts masters my grandmother could find, Mashimi-Sensei. Aside from April, Sensei was the first friend I ever had. He taught me everything he knew about the art of self-defense. However, he died a year before I moved to New York. A group of masked men came to the dojo,lead by a larger shadowed man, asking Sensei about something secret. Sensei refused, fought back and ended up getting shot. I still remember the clan emblem on the men's backs when they killed my teacher. A few weeks before he died, Sensei told me that if anything would happen to him, I will find a new teacher, a friend that he grew up with. His description of his friend was; "A man with wisdom you cannot see." Then, in my arms, with his last breathe, Sensei whispered a name in my ear, Hamato Yoshi. Whoever that is... Anywho...

After school was finished, I walked home and entered my room to do my homework. I'm very smart for my age and was able to finish my homework. I finished packing my sleepwear, tomorrow's set of clothes, and my toothbrush just before one of my favorite shows was about to start; Space Heroes. Call me a geek all you want. I like the show and I'm free to my own opinions.

I jumped onto my bed and switched on the T.V. Space Heroes was on and I watched intensly, as the galactic ship was under attack.

"Mr. Crenshaw, status report!" The main protagonist, Captain Ryan, requested of the Second in Command, Mr. Crenshaw.

"Status? I'll give you the status! We're gonna blow up in two seconds!" Crenshaw answered on the verge of a mental breakdown. Captain Ryan smacked Crenshaw across the face, knocking some sense into him. "Thank you, captain." Crenshaw thanked, relieved.

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out without question!" Captian Ryan said boldly and heroicly.

"Aye, sir!" The crewmates answered in full trust of the Captain. I smiled at the character's actions. Shame I'm the only one who likes the show. Oh well. To each his own.

After the show was over and gave Nelli her supper, I heard the doorbell being rung. Must've been April. I put on my backpack and ran to the door. Unfortunately, Asami beat me to the door.

"Too slow, **ヤドン****. **(Yadon/Slowpoke)" Asami teased.

She opened the door and it was April on the other side.

"Hi, Asami. I'm here to pick up Ellie for our sleep-over." She said in a polite tone.

"She's all yours, April." Asami said, pushing me toward April. Before I could say anything, Asami already closed the door.

"Is your sister always like that?" April asked me, as we walked away from my house to meet Kirby, who was at the garden gates.

"My whole family is." I answered. We met up with Kirby. He was a really nice guy. Shame that he's easy to scare, but he's a good listener, which makes him the perfect psychiatrist.

"Hey, Ellie. Ready to see the movie?" Kirby greeted then asked me.

"Estatic. What are we gonna see?" I answered with a smile, then asked.

April giggled, "It's a surprise."

I giggled with her and we made our way downtown. It was nightfall, when we got downtown. The city was beautiful at night. The streetlights and neon signs made the place glow in wonder and magic. The colors are eye-catching. It was just a shame that very few stores are open at night. We were just a few blocks away from the movies, until a white van, with a strange logo, parked in front of us.

The driver, a tall, scrawny-looking man in a white tank top, jeans and brown shoes, exit the van. Accompanying him were four men with the same face, a deadpan Caucasian male with dark hair and dark eyes. All of them wearing the same business suit.

"What? What is this?" Kirby asked, slowly backing away in fear. April hid behind her father.

"Get behind me." I told Kirby and April, as I stood in front of them and got into a defensive stance.

For some reason, I felt like I've met these men before. When I was younger, but I need to hear their voices to be sure it's really them. I tried to roundhouse kick the center one, but he caught my ankle and flipped me over his shoulder. Another did the same with April, as the other two knocked Kirby out and threw him into the van.

"Let us go!" I told the men, but they didn't listen.

"Help! Help!" April called, as she tried to fight back, but the men were unphased.

"Hey!" We heard an unfamiliar voice call, getting one of the men, that threw Kirby into the van, attention.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a... giant, humanoid turtle, wearing ninja gear and a red bandana mask over his green eyes. Now, I've seen everything. He punched the man in the stomach. The man bent forward and toppled back a bit.

Three more giant turtles joined the red masked one, fighting the other men. Each with a colored mask; blue, purple and orange. Just like my dream. The blue masked kicked the man that held me, causing him to drop me, and backflipped out of the way, as the man chased him.

I guess the man recovered from the hit, because I heard the red masked turtle say, "Still standing, huh? I'll fix that."

Then, the entire place turned into a street fight. The turtles and I against the strange men. The turtles weren't doing very well, as they were getting into eachother's way by either their weapons, or themselves.

"Watch it!" The blue masked turtle told the red masked one, as he bumped into him.

"You watch it!" The red one shot back. The blue one leap-frogged over his opponent and tried to keep his fight away from the red one as possible.

You know what? This is becoming a handfull. I'm just gonna give the turtles nicknames of their colored masks, until I get their names.

Red dodged a powerful punch from the man in front of him, but bumped into Purple.

"Watch it, Donnie!" Red told Purple. Donnie, huh? Well that's one out of four.

The turtles continued to clash into eachother, as the fight continued on. Orange and Red got their weapons tangled, but they dodged just in time before they got hit. Donnie did quite well, until Blue clashed with Donnie and then tried to hit the man in front of him, but Red got in the way and Blue hit Red's shell.

"What the-" Red exclaimed, until he was punched out of the way. The man that punched Red started attacking Blue, but Blue jumped out of the way.

Using his sais, Red caught his opponent's attack and tried to throw him over his back, but the man wouldn't move, "Oh, come on!" The man punched Red across the street.

Blue dodged each attack his opponent gave him. Then he bumped, back-to-back with me. I looked at him and he looked me. Then, we looked at our opponents.

An idea hit me. "Double-team?" I proposed to Blue.

Blue looked a little confused, but answered, "Sure."

Blue jumped into the air and gave my opponent a flying-kick. While, I ducked and gave his opponent a leg-sweep and a powerful punch, which threw him a few feet away.

"You're really good." Blue smiled at me. Something about his eyes felt familiar to me. Where have I seen them before?

I smiled back, "You too." Then noticed Blue's opponent was back on his feet, "Watch out!" Both of us got punched and the force threw us into a trash can, "Ow!"

We recovered and returned to the fight.

"Hey, cut it out! Stop! Ow!" April told the man that had hold of her. Her voice caught Donnie's attention.

He threw his staff at the man. The force caused him to let go of April and fly forward. Donnie was able to catch April, before she hit the ground, "Gotcha!"

April looked at Donnie. Donnie smiled, but April screamed at him. Donnie screamed back and dropped April.

Realising what just happened, Donnie tried to explain, "No, no, no. No. Don't worry. We're the good guys." April didn't pay attention and tried to back off, due to fear of a giant talking turtle. Am I the only calm one in this group? Wow. Just wow.

"It's okay." Donnie told her in a calm and gentle tone. April looked behind her and two men were advancing toward her. She looked back at Donnie, who smiled and reached out his hand to her. April was about to grab his hand until Donnie was hit in the head by Orange's nunchucks. Donnie shot a glare at him.

"Whoops! Sorry." Orange goofingly apologised, then shouted, "Watch out!"

Donnie looked back and the man punched him Orange in the same fashion as Blue and I. Donnie recovered and saw April, gagged and bound, being taken away in the van.

"They're getting away! They got the girl!" Donnie exclaimed, as he grabbed his staff and dashed after the van.

Red, Blue and I followed after him. "You just jabbed me with your sword." Red shouted at Blue.

"Well, I didn't know you were gonna land where I was stabbing." Blue shot back, as we ran after the van.

Unfortunately, we lost them at the corner. Out of frustration and beating myself up for being unable to save my best friend, I punched the nearest wall with enough force that it cracked on impact. "**畜生****! **(Chikushō/Damn it!)" I cursed.

I felt a three-fingered, scaly hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw it was Blue who put his hand over my shoulder. "We'll save here." He told me in a calm tone. His aura calmed me down.

"Thank you." I bowed to them.

Red and Donnie looked at eachother in confusion. "Wait, you're not gonna scream and run, like your friend did?" Donnie asked.

"Why should I? You guys just helped me try and save my friend. Also, there's something familiar about you, but I can't put my finger on it." I answered casually. Blue smiled in understanding.

"Well, my name is Leonardo. But, you can call me Leo." Blue, Leo, introduced himself.

"I'm Donatello. My brothers call me Donnie." Donnie answered with a smile.

Red kept quiet. I guess he doesn't trust me yet. Tough guy act, huh?

"That's Raphael." Leo told me.

"Let me guess. He goes by Raph?" I guessed his nickname. Donnie and Leo chuckled in humor and indicating that I was right. Then, Donnie realised something.

"Where's Mikey?" He asked.

"He must be back on the street." Leo said.

We ran back to the street and walked into Orange, or Mikey. He looked like he just saw something creepy and dark. Like a ghost, or an alien.

"Guys! Guys! You're never gonna believe this! That dude, he- he- Had a brain!" Mikey tried to explain about one of the men we fought.

"We all have brains, Mikey." Leo pointed out.

"Not all of us." Donnie interjected.

"In our chests?" Mikey asked, as if he was panicing in innocence. I raised an eyebrow. A brain in his chest? That sounds way too familiar now.

"No, Mikey. Not in our chests." Leo answered, shaking his head.

"You're not listening to me!" Mikey shouted, in panic and anger. Leo slapped him in the face and Mikey flinched, "Did you just slap me?"

"I was calming you down." Leo answered casually.

"Why would that calm me down?" Mikey asked.

"I think he's delusional." Donnie said as he observed Mikey's actions. I shook my head.

"Just-just come here." Mikey told us, as he walked off to an alley, where he said he saw the man with a brain in his chest.

"I'm telling you. The big guy was a robot and he had a freaky-weird alien brain thing in his chest. You gotta believe me." He told us, as we followed him.

"I'm not sure we do." Raph said blankly.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll change your tune when you see that he's-" Mikey was about to shoot back, but his little story proof was not there anymore, "Gone?" Mikey looked at his brothers. Raph shook his head, as the rest of them walked away.

Mikey sulked in disappointment. I placed a hand over his shoulder. He looked at me and I smiled, "I believe you." Mikey regained his smile, then followed his brothers.

They made their way to a manhole and Raph opened it. Leo walked to the edge and looked at me. I was staring at the manhole, unsure what to do. My train of thought was broken, when I noticed a hand reaching to me. I looked up and it was Leo reaching his hand to me.

"Wanna come with us?" He asked.

I looked at the four turtles. In a flash, they were replaced by the boys that were in my dream for a second. That was when I realized. The boys were the turtles. I thought for a second, then took Leo's hand with a smile. The moment my hand touched his, I felt something spark in my heart, but I kept quiet about it. Raph, Mikey and Donnie jumped down, and Leo lead me down the manhole. The turtles lead me to their home. It was like an abandoned underground train station with six rooms. I stared in awe.

Leo looked at me, "Wait out here. We need to tell our sensei what happened tonight." I nodded in understanding and waited at the toll-gates.

The turtles walked to the center of the left three, which lead to a dojo. The door opened to reveal a humanoid rat, that was around the same size as a grown man, and wearing a dark red kimono.

"Master Splinter, we have a small problem." Leo told the rat, Splinter.

Splinter looked at me. I bowed in welcome, and he bowed his head in return. "Bring her in." He told the turtles. Something told me I wasn't the 'problem' Leo was talking about.

I walked with the turtles, into the dojo, stood in the corner and allowed them to tell the story of what happened to April and her father.

"And so your inability to work together allowed them all to get away." Splinter scolded the turtles.

"Well, maybe if I didn't have to waste time arguing with hero boy, I could've saved them." Raph pointed out, glaring at Leo.

"Hey, if you hadn't gotten in my way, I could have done it." Leo snapped back, then looked at Donnie, "And you went flying off on your own. How smart was that?"

"Well, it would've worked out great, if somebody hadn't hit me in the head with their nunchucks!" Donnie exclaimed, glaring at Mikey.

"Well, none of this would've happened if-" Mikey was about to look next to him, but no one was there, "Somebody hadn't trusted us to go up there in the first place."

Leo, Donnie, Raph and I gasped at what Mikey said and who he blamed; Master Splinter himself.

Mikey realized his mistake and began to apologise, "Oh, geez. Sensei, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Michelangelo. You are right." Splinter cut Mikey off.

"I am?/He is?" We all asked in unison.

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there. I trained you to fight as individuals, not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine. Perhaps in another year we can try again." Master Splinter explained how it was his fault for April's kidnapping, then suggested on waiting.

"Another year? Ha! Has everybody forgotten that people were kidnapped? They don't have a year! sensei, we have to do something now!" Donnie exclaimed. Splinter and I looked at him.

"Donnie?" I muttered.

"You weren't there, sensei. You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared. And she was counting on me, us, to save her!" He explained. I noticed a glow of love coming from Donnie. I smiled at the purple masked turtle.

Then I sensed something change in Master Splinter's demeanor. He was looking at a photo, on the shelves. As he stared, I could hear fire and a collapsing house echo all around me. Could he be?

"Yes, you must save her." Splinter said, breaking my train of thought.

"I agree, sensei. But in that fight, we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine." Leo said.

"Like that robot with the brain thingy." Mikey compared.

"Give a rest!" Raph told Mikey, still not believing him on his story.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, "If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader."

"Can I be the leader?" Leo asked, raising his hand.

"Why should you be the leader? I kicked your butt. I should be the leader." Raph pointed out.

"Hey, I'm smarter than all you guys put together. It should be me." Donnie argued.

"No way! It should be me!" Mikey said, getting stares from his brothers, "I don't really have a reason. I just think it would be neat."

Splinter looked at me, his face asking if I wanted to be in charge of the group. I shook my head. I may be the one who knows the outside world better than the turtles, but I'm not leadership material. Besides, Leo asked, so he deserves a chance.

"This is a difficult decision. I will meditate on it." He told us, entering his room. He closed the door for a second, then opened it, "It's Leonardo." Then closed it again.

Leo smiled, but noticed that Raph was not very happy about the decision. "No hard feelings, Raph?" He asked.

"Stick it in your shell." Raph muttered, storming out of the dojo.

***A few hours later.***

Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey and I arrived at a nearby rooftop, just across the road of an abandoned company building with the same logo as the van that took Kirby and April.

"Explain to me one more time what we're doing here." Mikey asked, trying to break the silence.

We moaned in annoyance at Mikey's attention span.

"Mikey, we've been over this. That building has the same logo as the van that was used to kidnap the family." Leo explained, pointing to the building, "So if we wait here long enough, one of the kidnappers will eventually show his face. And when he does, we'll make him tell us where they took them." Leo finished with as little detail as possible for Mikey to understand.

"And then we got ourselves a van!" Mikey cheered, missing what Leo just told him.

Leo facepalmed in annoyance, "Just hit the guy I tell you to."

"Will do!" Mikey smiled with a thumbs-up.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Raph asked Leo.

"Trust me. They'll be here any second." He answered with a confident smile.

And so we waited. Donnie and Mikey played a little paper-volley. While Raph and I did some sparing. Eventually we got a bit bored after half an hour, so we did something else.

Mikey took a small nap. Raph was just watching the stars. Donnie was using one of Mikey's nunchucks as a jump-rope. And I counted his jumps. At 205 jumps, Donnie missed a jump and tripped over.

An hour and a half has passed, and I was hanging upside down from the billboard, Raph was still staring into space, and Mikey and Donnie were playing 20 Questions, or 'What-I'm-Thinking-Of'.

"Okay, I'm thinking of something green. Ga-reen. Ga-reen." Mikey said, in his turn to think of something. He made obvious emphisis on the 'Green' part, and was lightly pointing at Raph.

"Is it Raphael again?" Donnie asked, bored of the game.

"Man, you're good at this!" Mikey exclaimed in slight excitement.

Two hours of waiting, and Leo never left his spot. Raph had enough, so he walked over to him. I dropped down from the billboard, and lied down on the roof, recovering from the blood rushing to my head.

"Give it up already. The guy's not gonna show." Raph told Leo, losing his patience.

"We have to be patient." Leo reminded.

"No, you have to come up with a better plan, 'cause the five of us standing here with our thumbs up our noses..." Raph began complaining, until Mikey spoke up.

"I don't think they'd fit." He said, looking at his thumbs, taking Raph's words literally.

"Is pointless!" Raph finished.

"You sure about that, Raph?" Leo asked with a confident smirk.

"He just showed up, didn't he?" Raph asked, as the van finally showed up, "I should've complained two hours ago."

The driver turned off the engine of the van and exit.

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out without question." Leo announced, quoting a heroic speech from... Space Heroes? He likes Space Heroes too? During his speech, Raph sighed, grabbed my hand and we dashed into the shadows.

Leo noticed we were gone and called, "Guys? Guys, wait up!"

The driver walked to the front of his van and saw us walking toward him.

"All right, buddy. We can do this the easy way, or, my vote, the hard way." Raph reasoned, smiling and drawing his sais. The rest of us followed suite, in case we break into another fight.

"Yeah, look at it logically. There are five of us and one of you." Donnie summarized, then chuckled, "What are you gonna do?"

The driver stared at us, then pulled out an unfamiliar gun. He fired pink-purple lasers at us. Leo grabbed my hand and we jumped for cover.

"You had to ask!" Raph shouted at Donnie.

The driver entered his van. We got out of our cover, as he began to drive away.

"He's getting away again!" Donnie told Leo.

"No, he's not." Leo said, as we made our way to the roofs and began chasing the van and the driver.

Raph tried to dash ahead and jumped on top of the van. However the driver swayed the van and threw Raph into a wall of an apartment building. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and I continued the chase on the van by the rooftops. The driver fired his gun at us. Donnie, Mikey and I jumped out of the way, while Leo stayed on the track. He threw a ninja star, and the star flew toward a tire. The tire blew flat and threw van onto its side. I watched the van fly into the air and land on its side. Leo landed beside me.

"Now we're getting somewhere." He smiled.

The turtles and I re-grouped and snuck behind an appartment building, just in front of the van. Leo gave out a couple of hand signals that indicated that he wanted us to circle the van from behind.

"I don't know what that means." Raph said, waving his hands in poor mimicry.

"Go around back." Leo translated.

"Why didn't he just say so?" Mikey asked. I facepalmed. He just did.

The turtles and I made our way around the back of the van. The van had one door open with delivery boxes inside. I looked inside the van and saw something glowing light blue.

"Raph, come help me with this." I called Raph.

He walked over and he helped me open the other door. As we opened the door, a stray canister rolled out of the van and made its way to Mikey's feet. The canister had the same light blue glow and looked like alien goo that we see in science fiction shows. It felt very familiar to me.

"Mom?" Mikey asked in astonishment and confusion.

**To be continued...**


	2. Rise of the Turtles Prt 2

Rise of the Turtles Prt 2.

**Eleanor's POV.**

_Okay. Let me sum up from where we left off last time. During just a normal day with my friend, April, we encountered a group of strange men that wanted to take us somewhere. I was rescued by four mutant turtle brothers named; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Unfortunately, April and her father, Kriby, were not very lucky._

_So, to help find out where the men took April and Kirby, the turtles and I pursuit a van with the driver responsible. When we found him and disabled his truck, we found a canister with a strange goo that seems to be tied with what's going on. And there you go._

The turtles and I stared at the canister in awe. The glow it gave out makes you wonder what it does and what secrets, that science hasn't unfolded, it can tell us.

"So that's the-" Leo began, and Donnie finished for him, "Mutagen that turned us all into what we are now."

Then it hit me, "Hold on. You guys were just ordinary turtles, until you were splashed with this stuff?"

"Pretty much." Leo said, casually scratching the back of his neck.

I smiled, "That's awesome."

"Let's drink some!" Mikey said in excitement.

"What? Why would you do that?" Raph asked.

"'Cause if you mutate a mutant, you get a super mutant!" Mikey summarized with a smile. I face-palmed. Science never works the way you think it should.

"Or a pile of goo on the sidewalk." Donnie pointed out.

"Either way, it's an improvement." Raph smirked.

"Guys, this is huge." Leo interrupted, bringing his brothers and I back to the matter at hand, "Whoever kidnapped those people are somehow connected to what happened to us 15 years ago."

"How is that possible?" Donnie asked.

"For alien robots, anything is possible." Mikey said in a slight spooky and cautious voice.

"Stop that. There are no such thing as alien robots!" Donnie told him.

"Oh, yeah? Well, if there's no such thing as alien robots, how do you explain this?" Mikey asked, walking toward the driver of the van, picked him up and began trying to remove his face.

"Aah! Aah! My face!" The driver screamed in pain of Mikey's grip.

"Man, this mask is glued on tight!" Mikey said as he tightened his grip.

"Mikey, stop! It's not a mask." I told him.

Mikey looked at the driver, dropped him, then looked at us, "Okay. He's in the clear. But those other guys were totally alien robots."

"Enough! Time to get some answers." Raph said, grabbing the canister from Donnie. He walked up to the driver and grabbed his arm, "Who are you, and what's goin' on?"

"Name's Snake, and I got nothing to say to you hideous freaks." The driver, Snake, answered.

"Oh, well, that's 'cause you don't know us yet." Raph smirked. He threw Snake toward Leo, Donnie, Mikey and me. Donnie and Mickey grabbed one of Snake's arms, to make sure he doesn't get away.

"See, we were just regular guys, until we got hit with a little of this." Raph began, opening the canister of mutagen.

"Wha- what are you doing?" Snake asked, obviously starting to get scared.

"Playing a little game I like to call 'Mutation Roulette.' Now you could turn out handsome like me, or you might end up disgusting and deformed, like Mikey here." Raph answered with a smirk.

"Hey!" Mikey shouted, feeling offended by Raph's words.

"So, you feel lucky?" Raph asked, beginning to slowly pour the mutagen onto Snake's head.

The ooze was only centimeters from his face, until Snake finally cracked, "Okay, okay! They call themselves the Kraang. They been grabbing scientists from all over the city."

Raph brought the ooze back into the canister and smiled. I tilted my head in confusion. The Kraang? Where have I heard that name before?

"That worked pretty good." Leo smiled.

"Of course it did. Do you wanna look like Mikey?" Raph joked. I supressed a chuckle.

"I'm right here." Mikey pointed out, sulking a bit.

"What do they want with scientists?" Leo asked Snake.

"I don't know." Snake answered, until Raph showed him the mutagen again, "All I know is they're taking them out of the city tonight, but I don't know where!"

"This is awesome! That girl's dad is a scientist. I'm a scientist. She is so gonna like me." Donnie smiled on how much in-common he and Kirby have. I smiled with him.

"I don't think you're her type." Snake placed his opinion.

Donnie, Mikey and I turned to look at him in the face.

"Where are they now?" Leo asked.

***A few minutes later...***

The turtles and I arrived on the rooftop of a building that was close to the destination that Snake told us about. It looked like a triangular wall protecting an tall tower. Leo told Mikey to keep an eye on Snake to make sure he doesn't escape and warn the Kraang. Leo got out a telescope to get a closer look.

"There's gotta be, like, twenty of them down there." Leo said, as he looked.

"Yeah, and that's just the ones we can see." Donnie pointed out.

"All right! An all-you-can-beat buffet!" Raph smiled, getting his sais ready.

"We can't just rush in there." I told Raph, finally speaking up.

"She's right. We need a plan." Leo included. Oh, dang. I forgot to tell the turtles my name. Oh well, they haven't asked me yet.

"Why?" Raph asked.

"Think, you shellbrain. There are innocent lives at stake. If we screw this up, they're all goners." Donnie explained to him.

"And a rush-in will make that happen." I finished.

"Then we won't screw it up." Raph said. I shook my head. Screw-ups happen at random. They don't happen on purpose.

"Boy, I could sure go for some of that pizza right now, huh?" Mikey butted in, joining us. Leo, Donnie, Raph and I stared at him. Did he just left his post on keeping an eye on Snake? "What? I can't be the only one that's hungry." He asked.

"Where's Snake?" Leo asked.

Mikey realized his mistake and looked back at where he was guarding. Snake was gone, "Oh, geez."

We looked across and saw Snake making an escape. "Get him!" Leo told us.

Snake ran down the apartment stairs, followed by the turtles and myself. When we reached the bottom, he vanished. There was only two ways he could have gone. Donnie and Mikey went one way, while Leo, Raph and I went the other.

Raph, Leo and I ran into an alley-park and saw a dark alley. Leo and I heard an empty can roll across the ground. Which gave away Snake's position. Leo looked at Raph and motioned toward the trashcan in the alley. Raph nodded in understanding and Leo smiled.

"Oh, great. We let him get away." Leo said out loud, playing dumb.

"Oh no, what a disaster." I said, playing along.

"Whoa, whoa. You're the leader. That means you let him get away." Raph pointed out, not playing along, or helping us out.

"Raph!" I shot/whispered at him.

"You're not helping." Leo snapped/whispered.

"I'm not trying to help." Raph shrugged.

"Okay, okay. You want me to lead? Fine." Leo sighed, realizing playing dumb won't work anymore, "We go back to the Lair, gear up, and at midnight, we drive Snake's van right up to the gate. They'll think we're him, and we'll cruise right in."

"And then we bust some heads?" Raph asked with a smile.

"And then we bust some heads." Leo answered with a smile.

"I love a happy ending." Raph said with a happy smile.

Leo looked at me, "Are you coming to the Lair to gear up as well?"

I shook my head, "I have some stuff at home I need to pick up. I'll meet you guys at the Lair when I'm ready."

Leo and Raph nodded and we went our separate ways. I made my way to my room via roof top. I entered my room quietly and began packing my weapons and what I needed for the rescue plan.

Nelli must have heard me, because she startled me by scratching the glass of her cage. I looked and turned on her heat lamp. Asami always turns her lamp off too soon. Nelli looked me in slight confusion.

"April got kidnapped, Nelli. I need to get her out before the kidnappers do something to her." I told my pet lizard.

Nelli raised her left hand, indicating she wanted me to pick her up. I smiled, picked her up and placed her on my arm. Nelli crawled up my arm and made her way to my ear. She licked and nibbled on my ear-lobe, which tickled and indicated that she wanted me to be careful and good luck.

I lightly giggled, picked Nelli from my shoulder, kissed her on the forehead, placed her back into her cage, and quietly made my way to the turtle's underground Lair.

I arrived at the lair, only to be greeted by shouting and screaming. Raph was chasing Mikey with a wooden spoon in his hand. I don't really want to know what Mikey said. I walked by Donnie's workshop and saw Donnie creating shuko climbing hand claws. I didn't want to disturb him, so I made my way to the dojo. I saw Leo making a diagram of the building with pencils, nuts, bolts, and pencil sharpeners. He used an eraser as the van.

I walked up behind him, and I noticed he tensed up slightly. In a swift motion, Leo sheathed his katanas and swung them at me. At the same time, I got my eskrima sticks from my backpack and blocked Leo's attack. I couldn't help but look into his deep blue eyes. Leo noticed it was me and lowered his swords.

"You startled me." He sighed in relief.

"I was testing your reflexes." I smiled with a shrug. He smiled back.

"Would you like to see the plan?" He asked. I smiled and joined him to look at the diagram.

He told me that with Snake off to warn the Kraang of our pursuit. So, we were going to use the van as a decoy to distract the gang from our real pursuit of climbing the back wall. It was a brilliant plan.

"I think this plan is gonna work." Leo said, finishing his plan.

"No plan ever survives contact with the enemy. It is how you react to the unexpected that will determine if you and your brothers succeed." Master Splinter said, coming from behind us.

"Sensei, do you think I'm ready for this?" Leo asked, sounding like he was doubting himself.

Splinter placed his hand over Leo's shoulder, "Leonardo, I made you leader for a reason."

"What is that reason?" Leo asked.

"That is for you to discover on your own." Master Splinter answered.

"There's so much riding on this." Leo wondered. Something came to my mind and made me begin to worry.

"What if something goes wrong?" I asked.

"Failure is a possibility every leader must face, child. It is something I had to face in Japan during my final battle with my enemy, the Shredder." Master Splinter explained, then began telling a story of that he went through the same trouble, "Years ago, Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called then, had been my friend, but the love of a woman came between us. He could not accept it, and his jealousy turned outward in a vengeful attack. And while he could not defeat me that day, my world fell and crumbled around me as the battle took the life of my beloved Tang Shen, and I lost my baby daughter, Miwa." He finished.

His story sounded just like the man's life, from my dreams. And he knew my uncle, from my mother's side, Oroku Saki? Tears filled up my eyes, but I fought them back, "**Splinter-sama **(Mr. Splinter), I'm very sorry."

"But that's my point, Sensei. You lost everything." Leo pointed out.

"I lost many things. My family, my home, my name." Master Splinter said. Leo and I looked at each other, until Master Splinter spoke again, "But I gained many things as well, like the four of you."

"Don't worry, Splinter-sama." I smiled.

"We can handle this." Leo smiled in full confidence.

The moment was broken when Mikey and Raph dashed past us. Mikey was wearing a saucepan over his head, and Raph still had the wooden spoon.

"Get back here!" Raph shouted, as he dashed by.

Leo, Splinter and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

***A few hours later...***

Leo's plan was underway. The van drove into the gateway and distracted Snake and the Kraang. The opening allowed us to climb the wall without getting noticed.

"Wow, lucky thing that van showed up to distract them." Mikey said, as he looked at the blazing van.

Donnie face-palmed but hurt himself with his climbing glove, "Ow!"

"That was the plan, Mikey. We knew Snake was hiding in the alley, so Raph, our friend and I made him think we would be in the van." Leo explained.

"But we weren't in the van." Mikey pointed out.

Leo shook his head, "Just keep climbing."

Mikey smiled, "Can do."

The turtles and I climbed over the wall and made our way to the roof of the building. Once we found an opening, Leo and Raph took down two men that saw us coming. The rest of us jumped in and began looking around for April and Kirby. I must say that the inside of the building is very different from the outside. The walls were a white metal with pink-purple energy veins flowing through them

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this. They're using a metal alloy that I don't even recognize." Donnie said in awe of what he sees in the building.

"Gosh! A metal alloy even you don't know about! It boggles the mind." Raph exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.

"Dude, you wanna talk metallurgy with me? Bring it." Donnie dared Raph with a sharp glare.

"I don't, and-" Raph tried to argue back, but Leo cut him off.

"Guys! What part of being in an enemy lair do you not understand?" He snapped.

The turtles and I peeked over the corner and saw strange, humanoid robots that fit Mikey's description, with brain-like aliens in their stomachs. A few of them were in strange, blue, transparent armor.

"Whoa. Alien robots." Donnie gasped.

"Alien robots, huh? Hmm, where have I heard that before?" Mikey remarked in sarcasm until he shouted, "Oh, yeah! I've been saying it for hours!"

His shouting caught the attention of the robots. They began shooting their guns at us. The turtles and I dashed at them and began taking them down. Once Leo defeated his two opponents, the alien inside the blue armored robot woke up, walked out of its shell and aimed to attack us. Mikey whacked it with his nunchucks and the creature fell unconscious.

Mikey picked it up by its tentacles and showed it to us, "See? See? It's a brain thing! I told you! I told you! But did any of you believe me? No! 'Cause you all think I'm just some kind of bonehead!" He shouted.

The creature woke up and began biting Mikey's arm. Mikey waved his arm violently, which caused the alien to let to and hit a switch. An alien-sounding alarm called out, and the alien walked off.

"Mikey!" Raph, Leo and Donnie scolded, staring at the youngest turtle.

"Okay! But I was still right about the brain thing. You gotta give me that." Mikey pointed out.

We heard more of the alien robots were heading our way.

"Let's move." Leo told us, as he advanced forward.

"Move where?" Raph asked.

I shook my head then looked up. I saw a pair of large, grey wires on the ceiling heading down the hallway, getting narrow the more they progressed.

"Donnie, look at those." I called Donnie, pointing to the wires.

He looked, then turned to his brothers and I, "I think those are power conduits."

I adjusted my glasses, to make sure I wasn't seeing things, "Looks like it."

"Oh! That's really interesting! Thanks for sharing, Donnie." Raph said in sarcasm.

"Meathead, the conduits are all converging that way, which means that whatever is going on in that direction is important!" Donnie explained, following the conduits.

Leo, with a smile, motioned that we follow Donnie. I shook my head at Raph. His temper will get the better of him at some point. Mikey walked past him teasingly.

"You got spanked." He told Raph, like a child. Before Mikey was out of his reach, Raph grabbed Mikey's finger and gripped it tightly, trying to bend it back. Mikey yelped in pain, "Ow! Ow! Mercy!" Raph let go and followed the rest of us. Mikey tended to his finger and glared at Raph, "Not cool."

The turtles and I dashed down the hallway, only to pass a black cell room. Donnie looked back at the cell and called to the rest of us, "We found 'em!"

I looked through the window of the cell and saw my friends, unharmed. "April! Mr. O'Neil!" I called in relief. April and Kirby smiled back at me.

Our little reunion was cut short by lasers being fired toward us. The robots found us. Terrific.

"We'll hold them off! You pick the lock." Leo told Donnie, as the rest of us grabbed our weapons and dashed into battle.

"Don't worry! I'll have you out of there in a second." Donnie reassured April and her father.

"Okay, giant lizard-thing." April replied, trying to comprehend what Donnie was.

"A turtle, actually. I'm Donatello." Donnie said and introduced himself.

"April." April introduced.

"Wow, that's a pretty-" Donnie was about to say, until he was cut off by Leo bumping into him, causing his face to smack into the door.

"The lock, Donnie!" Leo reminded him.

"Yeah- Oh, right, yeah! Sorry." Donnie said, getting his mind back on track and began picking the lock.

He was having a little bit of trouble with the wires. While Mikey, Raph, Leo and I were beating more of the alien robots.

"Not to rush you, but hurry up!" April shouted at Donnie, slightly in a panic.

"Hey! You think it's easy trying to pick a lock with these hands?" Donnie shot back, waving his hands at her.

April sweat-dropped in slight embarrassment, "Uh, sorry."

Raph noticed Donnie was having trouble and lost his patience, "Oh, for the love of- Get out of my way!" He told Donnie, pushing him aside and started stabbing the lock with his sai.

The door finally opened, only for us to see that April and Kirby were being taken away again. The robots from behind us kept firing, which only lead us to run for the back door. We jumped out, followed by lasers.

"Get the door!" Leo told Raph, who was the last to get through the door.

Raph tried to close the door, but a robot got caught. Raph ripped the robot's arm, kicked him back, and put the arm on the handles. The robots tried taking down the door, but no avail.

"That'll hold 'em." Raph told us. His brothers and I stared at him in slight shock. He just ripped an arm off the robot and used it as a lock. "What?" He asked.

"You are seriously twisted." Leo said.

Raph smiled, "Thanks."

"No! Let me go!" We heard a voice shout from above us. The turtles and I looked up and saw April and her father being taken to the helicopter dock.

"Let's get 'em!" Leo shouted. We ran toward the path to the dock, but were blocked by a... 12 foot tall humanoid weed-insect-like creature.

The only thing that was going through my head was as Mikey said, "Uh-oh."

The weed roared, then glared at us angrily, "You did this to me! Now you're going to pay!" It's voice was growly, but unmistakable. The weed creature was Snake.

"It's Snake! He mutated into a giant weed!" Leo said.

"He must have got hit by the mutagen, that was in the van." I summarized, as Snake roared angrily at us and tried to move. But, his legs were stuck together.

"That's weird. You'd think he'd get mutated into a snake." Mikey whispered to Raph.

"Yeah, you would, if you were an idiot." Raph shouted.

"But his name is Snake." Mikey pointed out.

"So?" Raph asked.

"You don't understand science." Mikey pouted.

I looked and noticed that Snake was able to separate his legs, so he could move.

"Guys, now's not a good time to argue." I shouted, getting Raph and Mikey out of their sibling argument.

"I'll crush you turtles!" Snake snarled.

"Uh, would it help if we said it was an accident?" Donnie asked. This only angered Snake even more, as he began snapping his pincers at us. "So, heh, I'll put you down for a no?" Donnie suggested.

Snake swung his arm at us. Donnie, Leo, Raph and I jumped out of the way, but Mikey wasn't very lucky. Seeing an opening, Leo jumped and used his katana to cut off one of Snake's vines. Snake roared in pain, as purple sap sprayed on the ground.

"Don't let it touch me! Don't let it touch me!" Mikey screamed, as he backed away from the sap. A splash of sap got on his leg and he screamed, "It touched me!"

I shook my head at him and spoke up, "It's just sap, Mikey. It's not gonna burn through your shell."

In a matter of seconds, Snake's lost limb grew back to full length. Snake smiled evilly. He developed an asset of being a mutant weed.

"It grew back? No fair!" Donnie asked, then whined.

The sound of helicopter blades interrupted the fight, as we noticed that April and her father were boarding the chopper.

Leo looked at Donnie, "Donnie! Go!"

Donnie nodded and sheathed his bo-staff. Leo gave him a boost and Donnie left us to deal with Snake. I tried to hold Snake back, as Leo and Mikey tried to cut off his vines to slow him down. Not very much luck. Raph dashed underneath Snake, using his climbing gloves to try and get Snake to his knees. However, he only got sap all-over his gloves. Raph shook the sap off and glared at Snake, who roared at him and swung his vines at him. Raph grabbed the vine and pulled it back, making Snake topple over. Raph jumped over him and tried to get some ground, but Snake caught him with a thorn-covered vine and threw him at Mikey, Leo and I.

"Snakeweed is really powerful!" Mikey said, giving Snake a new name.

Leo, Raph and I looked at him in slight confusion, "Snakeweed?" Raph asked.

"Yeah! His name was Snake, and now he's a weed, so-" Mikey tried to explain.

Raph cut him off, "We get it!"

"We just have to hold it off until Donnie gets back." Leo said, until the locked door burst open and the alien robots aimed their guns at us. "While not getting shot by alien robots." Leo finished.

"With brains!" Mikey added.

"Let it go, man." Raph told him.

Snake and the robots ganged around us. We kept jumping out the way. Raph tried to attack Snake's vines, but they kept growing back and the robots were right behind him. Raph jumped out of the way, as the robots shot Snake, when they were aiming for Raph. Snake roared in pain, swinging his vines blindly. One of his vines swung toward Raph. Time felt like it slowed down. Raph was too concentrated of the robots to notice the plant coming toward him.

"Raph, look out!" Leo shouted, as he noticed the vine.

Thinking quickly and being stupid, I tackled Raph out the way of the vine's swing. The impact caused me to hit the wall so hard, it created a large crack and hit my head that the world around me go blank.

**Leonardo's POV.**

The girl saved Raph from Snakeweed's blind attack. She fell unconscious on the ground, as Snakeweed swung his arm at all of us, including the robots.

"What's the plan again, chief?" Raph asked me.

"I'm working on it." I answered, until Snakeweed grabbed my ankle and began swinging me around. I looked and saw the same wires that the girl and Donnie noticed before, "The power conduits."

"Are we really gonna start talking about that again?" Raph asked, not getting the point.

I looked and saw the conduits connecting to a power generator. An idea came to me, "Perfect." I looked at my brother, "Raph! Mikey!" I put one of my kitanas in my mouth and made hand signals to them. The signs I made told them that I need them to get the robots to attack Snakeweed. They nodded in understanding and sprung into action. They ran behind Snakeweed and I cut his vine to let me go.

Snakeweed turned his attention on Mikey and Raph, as they easily dodged his attacks. Raph and Mikey turned their attention to the robots behind them and taunted them. The robots began firing and Raph and Mikey ran, so the robot's fire hit Snakeweed. I climbed on top of the generator and prepared two of my shuriken stars. But, Snakeweed was still too far.

Suddenly the ground lightly shook under my feet. Out the shadows, emerged the girl, back on her feet. But, something was off about her. Her eyes no longer had the innocent, but loyal and kind look, but were both cyan and had a dead and glassy look. The sclera of her eyes were black, like she was possessed by something. The girl clapped her hands together and a large blast of wind blew Snakeweed and the robots closer to the generator. Perfect. I threw my stars at Snakeweed's back. He yelped in pain, then looked at me.

"Hey, come and get me, stinkweed!" I taunted. I made a funny face and Snakeweed tried to attack me, but it jumped over him. I taunted the robots and they continued to shoot at Snakeweed and the generator.

As I got away from the crossfire, I noticed Snakeweed had his feet caught by strong ivy-like vines from the ground. My eyes followed the trail of the vines. They lead to the girl, who had her hands on the ground. With enough shots, the generator short-circuit, electrocuted Snakeweed and the generator exploded. Once everything calmed down, the girl's eyes began to return to their normal colors and show emotion. The girl sighed and began to topple over. I caught her before it fell to the ground. As soon as my hands touched her soft, dark skin, I felt something spark inside me. My heart started to beat faster, and my cheeks felt warm.

My brothers and I took the other girl, April, to her aunt's apartment building. She sat on the edge of the window and sighed.

"Are you gonna be all right?" Donnie asked her.

"I guess. My aunt says I can stay here as long as I want, but I'll be a lot better when I track down the creeps that took my dad." She answered with determination in her eyes.

"Won't the police help?" I asked.

"Funny thing. When you tell them your dad was kidnapped by alien brains in robot bodies, they don't take you all that seriously." April answered with a light chuckle.

"I hear that." Mikey added in.

"April, I promise you we will not rest until we find him." Donnie told her.

Raph looked at him, "We won't?"

I nudged him, "No, we won't."

"Thank you, but it's not your fight." She sighed.

Donnie placed his hand over April's, "Yes, it is."

April smiled at Donnie, who smiled back. Then a thought came to her as she looked at her newly mutated friend, "You'll take care of Ellie, right?"

I assured with a small smile, "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

Raph picked up the girl, and we made our way back to the lair. Raph placed the girl into the spare room we had. Donnie and Mikey relaxed in the living room. And I entered the dojo and told Master Splinter of what happened.

"I am impressed, Leonardo. You proved to be an effective leader under the most difficult of circumstances." Sensei told me with a smile.

"Thank you, sensei. And I think I figured out why you made me leader." I smiled in confidence.

"Oh? Why is that?" He asked.

"Because you sensed inside me a true warrior's spirit that could forge us all into the heroes we are destined to become." I answered.

"No." Master Splinter said.

"No? Then why did you make me leader?" I asked.

"Because you asked." He answered.

"That's it? But you seemed so certain you were right." I asked and pointed out.

"As a leader, you will learn that there is no right and wrong, only choices." Master Splinter pointed out.

"So you could have chosen any of us?" I asked him, shocked.

"Yes." He answered.

"Even Mikey?" I asked.

Master Splinter chuckled, "No. That would have been wrong."

The silence was broken by Mikey shouting loudly, "Everybody! Come here! We made the news!"

Master Splinter and I entered the living room and saw the news channel on the television.

"A report of get this ninjas in New York. Don't believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this." The news reporter announced, showing an image of one of my ninja stars I left. "For channel six news, this is Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe saying, 'Hi-ya!'" He finished.

"This is awesome! We're gonna be famous!" Mikey exclaimed in excitement.

"You must be more careful. The ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing." Master Splinter warned us.

"Relax, Sensei. It's one little news story. What's the worst that can happen?" Raph said in confidence.

A thought came to my mind, "Speaking of. What are we gonna do with her, in there?"

"We have to take her back to her home. I'm sure her family will be wondering where she's gone." Donnie pointed out.

We walked into the spare room, where she was sleeping on the bed. The girl looked very peaceful in her sleep.

"Who's gonna take her?" Mikey asked.

We looked at each other and I came to a decision, "I'll take her. I know where she lives."

I gently picked the girl up and began making my way out of the sewers and towards the girl's home. When I got to her place, I noticed how nice her house looked and saw an open window. I climbed toward the window and walked into the room it lead to. It was a bedroom that looked like it belonged to a rebellious tomboy's room. I placed the girl on to the bed and waited for her to wake up. She still looked very peaceful. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, and my heart beat a little fast, as I began to wonder what she was dreaming about. The girl started moaning, indicating that she was waking up.

**Eleanor's POV.**

I regained consciousness from getting hit by Snake's attack. I opened my eyes and sat up, rubbing my head.

"Ow, my head. What happened?" I asked, adjusting my eyes.

"You took quite a hit. I'm surprised you were able to survive an impact like that." I heard Leo explain, then complemented.

I smiled, "I learn from the best. Thanks for taking me home, Leo."

I noticed Leo blushed as he smiled, "It's no problem. Oh, and Master Splinter said that you're welcome to our home anytime you like. He's also thinking about training you more on ninjutsu. If you're up for it."

I thought for a second. My family doesn't really care where I go, and if Splinter-sama doesn't mind. I shrugged my shoulders, "Sure. I'm game."

"Cool. Oh, that reminds me. We never got your name." Leo smiled, then pointed out.

"Of course, how rude of me. My name is Eleanor, but you guys can call me Ellie." I joked, then introduced myself.

Leo blushed again, "That's a very pretty name."

Suddenly, the hallway light switched on. Quickly thinking, I motioned Leo to the window. He climbed out the window and jumped on to the rooftop of the building next to my house. I quickly closed the window, jumped on to my bed and faked going to sleep. I heard my door open for a few seconds, then close. I looked at my door, to see anything. All clear. I jumped off my bed and looked out the window. Leo was still on the rooftop, looking at me. He smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. Then Leo made his way back to his home.

I think I'm gonna like being in New York. Life has just gotten a whole lot more fun.


	3. Turtle Temper

Turtle Temper.

It's been a few days, since I've been accepted into the Turtles' family. I gotta say, getting nearly kidnapped, and meeting Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey was the best thing that ever happened to me. Heck, Master Splinter has been teaching me more on ninjutsu. My life was getting pretty boring before all this, heheh.

Anyway, Donnie heard from an anomynous tip, *cough* April *cough*, of the Kraang's activity in an abandoned lab. So, we decided to investigate. We arrived a bit early and formed our post on the rooftop of an apartment building. I lead us to the building, because I used to live in the building, until a cranky, angry old man complained about my freerunning hobbies and threatened to call the police, if my family didn't leave. Charming, right?

Donnie looked through his telescope to get a closer look at the lab.

"Anything?" Leo asked.

"Nothing yet." Donnie answered.

While Donnie, Leo and I remained on surveillance, Mikey was being his mischievous self and was poking Raph on the top of his head. Raph swatted Mikey's hand away a few times, until he grabbed Mikey's finger and squeezed it tightly. Mikey yelped in pain.

"Guys, when ninjas are on surveillance, they are supposed to be silent." Leo reminded Mikey and Raph.

"Sorry, Leo. I'll scream quieter." Mikey whispered.

Mikey tried one more time to poke Raph, but Raph caught him and bound him into a tight head-lock, "Say it." He told Mikey.

"Raph, be quiet please!" I told Raph.

"Not till Mikey says it." Raph told me, as he tightend the headlock on Mikey.

"Raphael is all-wise and powerful." Mikey forcefuly said, rolling his eyes.

Raph let go of Mikey, then got him into a tighter choke-hold, "And?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way." Mikey answered.

Raph let go again, but threw Mikey on to the ground, "And?"

"And I'm a lowly worm beneath his feet, who isn't fit to live on the same planet as him, because he's so amazing and I'm a dirt clod." Mikey answered in a slight hurry, running out of breathe.

Raph licked his finger and aimed to poke Mikey at the top of his head with it, "And?"

"And in the history of the universe there's never been-" Mikey began, but Leo cut him off.

"Okay, enough." Leo said.

Raph frowned, got off Mikey and walked toward Donnie, Leo and I.

"We're wasting our time. The Kraang aren't gonna show up." Raph told Leo.

"Have a little patience, will you?" Leo asked.

"Trust me, guys. They're gonna break into that lab tonight. I have reliable intel." Donnie explained with a smile.

"Intel? You mean April told you." Raph smirked, pointing out the obvious.

"You mean your girlfriend?" Mikey teased. I supressed a chuckle. Donnie's face was priceless.

"She's not my girlfriend, Mikey! She's a girl, who's a friend, whose dad got kidnapped by the same aliens who are gonna break into that lab. And we're gonna stop 'em." Donnie shouted, then explained.

"Or we'll sit out on a cold roof all night for no reason." Raph added, shrugging his shoulders.

"What the heck's going on up here?" We heard a voice ask. It was a voice I thought I would never hear again.

The turtles and I turned to look at the stairway and saw the door was opened by an elderly, chubby man wearing only a white tank top, blue pants and brown sandals. I recognised him instantly. He was the same man that threatened my family to move out. He was also my neighbour, Vic. Not a very nice man.

The turtles and I stared at Vic. I tensed as only one thought came to me, "Uh-oh."

"What are you? Playing dress up?" Vic asked as he looked at us. I sighed in slight relief. He doesn't recognised me. Well, who can blame him? I was only 10 years old when he met me.

"No, sir. We were just-" Leo tried to explain, but Vic cut him off, "Which one of you slimy green ham shanks busted my satellite dish?"

Oh, here we go again with the name calling. Always the first, huh Vic?

"Ham shanks?" Raph asked, feeling insulted by the name.

Donnie scratched his head in confusion, "I don't even know what that means."

"Me neither. But I don't like it." Raph replied, starting to reach for his sais. But, I stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Best you don't know. Trust me." I told him.

"Let's go." Leo told us, walking away.

"That's right, you spineless cream puff! Listen to your mommy." Vic taunted, catching Raph attention.

I started sensing a burning anger in Raph, as he turned to Vic with his sais ready, "Hey! Watch it, buddy."

"Oh, no. I didn't know you had salad tongs." Vic teased with a mean smile.

"Salad tongs?" Raph shouted, angry at Vic's taunts.

He was about to attack Vic, but Leo and I held him back, "Raph, don't encourage him." I told him calmly.

"I'm not gonna take this from some greasy, pit-stained slob with a comb-over!" Raph shouted.

"You calling me ugly? Seen a mirror lately, circus freak?" Vic asked.

"Raph, don't!" Leo warned Raph.

"You want a piece of me?" Vic dared. Raph was becoming too much. So Donnie helped out.

"When I'm done, a piece of you is all that's gonna be left!" Raph threatened, but he was cut off by a pink-purple laser.

The turtles, Vic and I turned and saw four Kraangdroids, aiming their guns at us.

"Kraangdroids!" Leo announced.

"Holy Toledo!" Vic shouted in shock.

"Way to blow our position, Raph." Leo scoulded, as we got our weapons ready.

The Kraangdroids did the same.

**Vic's POV.**

The strange men fired their guns at the frogs and the girl. "Scram!" The blue masked one told the others.

I quickly hid in the stairway for shelter and watched the fight between the strange men and the group of freaks. The frogs and the girl were doing kung fu on the strange men.

"Holy cow. They're some kinda..." I got my phone out and began filming the action, "Kung fu frogs." I notice the girl and she was using freerunning moves. "Those moves look familiar." I muttered to myself. I know I've seen the moves the girl used, but I can't remember where.

Once the fight was over, the men ran off. "Keep going, kung fu frogs. This is pure gold." I told the frogs, waving my phone at them.

"We're not frogs, you idiot!" The red one shouted at me.

"Yeah, and it's not kung fu. It's an ancient Japanese battle art." The purple one told me.

"Guys, he got us on video." The blue one alerted the rest. The red one got angry. The girl, however, had a tired, blank look on her face. Like she's been through this scene before.

"Not for long, he doesn't." The red one said. He dashed toward me, but I closed the door on him. I felt the impact he made on the door. That was really funny.

**Eleanor's POV.**

Raph rammed into the door, that Vic closed to escape from us with the video he made of our fight with the Kraang.

"Oh wow. **Déjà vu **(Already seen)." I said in a deadpan tone.

Leo looked at me, "Déjà vu?"

I nodded at him, "Means I've seen this before."

Donnie looked at me, "You have?" I nodded again.

"I'm gonna make a fortune off of this!" We heard Vic's voice from the stairway, along with the sound of fire truck sirens coming toward the building.

"Fire truck's en route. Thirty seconds!" Donnie alerted us.

"Let's move." Leo told us.

"Wait! We have to find that guy and break his phone, and his face!" Raph shouted, but we were already gone.

As soon as we got back to the lair, Leo told Master Splinter what happened on the roof. Splinter told Leo to gather us up in the living area, so he could talk to all of us. By the way Leo sent the message, Master Splinter did not sound very happy. We gathered and Master Splinter started speaking to us.

"Not only did Raphael alert the Kraang, but you got caught. On video." Master Splinter scoulded, looking at Raph, as he paced.

"Sensei, he was the angriest, nastiest guy you ever met." Raph tried to explain.

"Except for you." Mikey added, only to get hit over the head by Raph, "Ow!"

"You should have heard the insults this guy was throwing at us. They were so... Insulting!" Raph explained.

"Oh, I did not realize he said mean things. Of course, you had no choice but to jeopardize your mission." Splinter said in a sarcastic tone.

"Burn." Mikey smiled, only to agitate Raph a bit more.

"You are ninjas. You work in the shadows, in secret. This becomes difficult if there is proof of your existence in high-definition." Splinter explained.

"Look, we know where this guy lives. All we need to do is find him and shake him until the tape pops out." Raph told him.

"Oh, there's no tape. Video phones use flash memory-" Donnie tried to explain digital phones, only to stop by the look on Raph's face.

I shook my head at Raph. His anger came too soon.

"Anger is self-destructive." Splinter said.

"I always thought it was others-destructive." Raph side-commented.

"Raphael!" Splinter called. The force behind his voice caused Raph to flinch and look at his sensei. "Stand up." Splinter told him.

Raph did so. Mikey smirked like a child, "Somebody's in trouble."

Master Splinter told us that he wanted to see a demonstration on how Raph's anger affects him. So, he lead us to the dojo and gave Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I a bow and a quiver with suction cup arrows. We circled Raph about the right distance and waited for Master Splinter's instructions.

"Evade the arrows." He told Raph.

Raph smiled, "No problem."

"**始め**(Hajime/Start)!" Splinter instructed.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I fired one arrow each, and Raph was able to evade them with ease. Donnie was the last to fire. Raph jumped over it and Splinter caught it with two of his fingers.

"**止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Spinter instructed. The boys and I lowered our bows. "Again, except this time, Leonardo, Eleanor, Donatello, and Michelangelo, insult Raphael." He told us.

"Wait. Insult him?" Donnie asked, unsure about the plan.

"Yes." Splinter answered.

"And he can't fight back?" Donnie asked. Raph raised an eyebrow.

"No." Splinter answered again.

Donnie smiled, "I'm feeling good about this plan."

"**始め**!" Splinter instructed.

The boys and I circled Raph, beginning the excersise again.

Mikey chuckled as he began the insults, "You move like a bloated buffalo."

Mikey fired his arrow. Raph was able to evade it. "I do not!" He defended.

"And you're always whining." I pointed out, firing my arrow, which Raph evaded as well.

"Yeah. 'Poor me. Nobody understands me.'" Leo backed, firing his arrow.

"Well, you don't understa-" Raph tried to shoot back, but the arrow hit him on his shell. His aura started to blaze red again.

"And..." Donnie started, thinking of a good insult. Then he got one, "Oh! You don't keep your back straight when doing **表小手逆 **(Omote Kote Gyaku/Reversing the Forearm to the Outside)." Donnie fired his arrow and it hit Raph's shell, next to Leo's arrow.

"And you're ugly!" Donnie added, firing another arrow, which hit.

"And gassy." Mikey included, firing his arrow. It hit the center of Raph's shell.

"Stop it!" Raph shouted at us.

"Oh, you talk so tough, but inside, you're just a scared little baby." I insulted with a cooing tone.

"Who needs his bottle?" Donnie insulted, firing his arrow.

"And his diaper changed?" Mikey added, firing his arrow.

"What's the matter, Raph? Gonna cry?" Leo cooed, firing his arrow.

"I am... Not... Gonna cry!" Raph shouted, in between the arrows hitting him. Our last arrows hit him on the head. Donnie's hit the left side, Mikey's hit the right, Leo's hit the back, and mine hit the front. On my arrow, Raph collapsed.

Mikey sighed in relief, "I wish this moment could last forever."

"You know what? Forget this. This is stupid." Raph shouted in frustration, throwing his sais on the ground.

Mikey moaned a bit, "It didn't."

Raph walked over to Master Splinter.

"**忍辱精神 **(Ninniku Seishin/Spirit of Preserverance) is the ability to endure insults with patience and humility. You cannot be a true ninja until you master it." Splinter explained to Raph.

The arrows on the side of Raph's head fell. Mikey chuckled in humor. Raph got agitated, that he balled his hand into a fist.

"Understood?" Splinter asked.

Raph noticed his fist and calmed down, "**Hai, Sensei **(Yes, master/teacher)."

"You must get that video back. Using reason, not force." Master Splinter told us.

While the guys were gearing up and getting the arrows of Raph's shell, a thought came to me. Even if Raph is able to understand Ninniku Seishin, that won't mean he'll be able to control his anger any better. I walked into the dojo and stared at the tree, thinking about a way I can help.

"Something on your mind, Eleanor?" I heard Master Splinter ask, from behind me. I didn't move. Somehow, I sensed him coming.

"You know Raph won't be able to keep his anger under control, Splinter-sama. He needs an outlet for it. If he keeps this up, he'll explode." I explained.

Master Splinter nodded in agreement. "Your awareness of your friends' well-being makes you very wise for your age. Do you have any suggestions?" He told me, then asked.

I thought for a few seconds. Raph's pet turtle, Spike, is a good listener, but talking doesn't always help. It just calms him a bit, until something agitates him again. Then it hit me, "A sparring partner."

Master Splinter looked at me in confusion. "Raph's been talking to his turtle, Spike, right? Well, I learn that talking is always the best way. Raph needs to work out his anger. So, why not someone who can fight him?" I explained.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, "I will think about your suggestion."

I bowed, "**有難う**(Arigato/Thank you)."

"Ellie, you ready? We gotta go!" I heard Donnie shout.

I got my things together, met up with the turtles and we made our way to Vic's apartment building. We arrived a little early, so we waited for Vic to show himself. After ten minutes, Vic left the building, talking over the phone to a friend or someone.

"That's right. I swear on my mother's grave that these guys are frogs and they know kung fu." He told his friend, but it sounded like his friend wasn't believing him, because he shouted, "You can't tell me that's not worth something."

Vic yelped in surprise, as the boys and I circled him. "I'll call you back." He told his friend, then hang up the phone. "Lay one finger on me, frog, and I'm calling the cops." He threatened us.

"We're not gonna hurt you." Raph said, trying to control his anger.

"Then what do you want, freak?" Vic asked.

"We got off on the wrong foot last night. Some things were said, and well, we would just like that video back." Raph explained and requested.

Vic gave us a look. Leo nudged Raph in the elbow. "Please?" Raph finished.

"What are you gonna give me for it?" Vic asked. I facepalmed. Definitely déjà vu. Just like with my family.

"Give you for it?" Raph asked.

"Well, I figure I've got you over a barrel, so you've got to make it worth my while." Vic said with a smirk.

"I'll make it worth your while." Raph smiled, then shouted in a fit of anger, "I won't take your hand and smash it against the-"

Leo placed his hand over Raph's shoulder, stopping him, "Okay, okay, thank you, Raphael. I will take over." Raph pouted, but let Leo talk. "So what are you looking for?" Leo asked Vic.

"A cool mil ought to cover it." Vic answered. I removed my hand from my face. My eyes widen. That's a new method of blackmail from Vic. For my family, it was a law suit, which Asami refused.

Leo nodded, but didn't understand the offer, "A cool mil of what?"

I placed my hand over Leo's shoulder, getting his attention, "Leonardo, a 'cool mil' is a million dollars."

The boys looked shocked, while Vic smirked, "That's right, Girlie."

"We don't have a million dollars." Leo told Vic.

"We do have some Canadian quarters that fell through the grate." Mikey offered.

"I can make serious money off this thing. And if you don't want to pay, I'll hold on to it until someone else does." Vic told us, waving his phone at us.

Now, Raph has lost his patience, "That's it!" He grabbed Vic by the arm and threw him on to the ground, "Hand over the video or, so help me, I'll kick your hairy butt all the way to New Jersey!"

A pair of headlights shined on us. Leo saw it and announced, "Guys! The Kraang!" Donnie, Mikey and I saw a van, with Kraangdroids inside, driving toward Raph and Vic, but they were too busy being mean to eachother.

"Raph!" Leo called, catching Raph's attention. Raph looked and saw the van heading toward him.

Thinking quickly, I tackled Vic and Raph out of the way of the van, "Look out!" The van dashed by and vanished at the corner. Another van started up and began following the van before it.

"Let's not let this one get away." Leo told us.

Raph picked up a barrel and threw it at the van. It hit the hood and knocked the van off balance, which caused it to hit the garage door just two building away from its parked space.

Raph smiled in confidence, "Well, that was easy." However, the back door of the van opened to show a group of Kraangdroids, with guns, ready for a fight. "Ooh-kay." Raph said, has the Kraang began firing at us.

The turtles and I dashed into action and attacked every Kraangdroid that were aiming for us. Raph took down most of them. Vic was trying to keep away from the fight, with his phone still in one piece. He was able to make it to the van, but a Kraangdroid pushed him into the van.

Raph and I double-teamed on some Kraang, but by the sound of his voice, he noticed Vic in the van.

"Oh, no, you don't!" He shouted, as he marched off. Leaving me to fight on my own.

I blocked a Kraang's chainsaw-gun, and looked behind myself to see Raph heading toward the van, "Raph, what are you doing? Get back here!"

I was able to push the Kraang away, but another kicked me from behind and started kicking me. I got into the hedgehog position, as two more began attacking me.

I tried to call, but the kicks got too painful, "Raph!"

After a few more kicks, Leo and Donnie got the Kraang off me. Before I could thank them, the van drove off.

"Raph's in the van!" I told them.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I dashed after the van. We chased it for a while, until we were able to see Raph at the edge of the van.

"Raph!" Donnie called, with his staff out for Raph to grab, "Get out of there!"

Unfortunately, Raph didn't listen and walked deeper into the van. But, he was thrown out by the Kraang. He tumbled and knocked us over. We recovered, but the van got away with Vic inside. Thank goodness it was the Kraang with him. Too bad it was the Kraang with him.

Raph looked at us. I hugged myself and refused to look at Raph. I felt like my trust and faith in a friend was broken by a blazing fire of rage. I felt Mikey's hand of comfort over my shoulder.

"Nice going, Raph." Leo scolded.

"What did I do?" Raph asked.

"What did you do? You left the four of us in the middle of the fight to yell at somebody. We could have stopped them, but thanks to your temper, the guy with the tape-" Leo tried to explain, but Donnie cut him off.

"Again, technically, it's a flash-" Donnie tried to remind, but Leo cut him off.

"Not now! Is in the hands of the Kraang. How are we supposed to find them?" Leo snapped, then finished, and wondered.

Donnie sulked, but noticed a trail of motor oil on the ground, "Look, the truck's leaking!"

"All right! We can follow the trail to their hideout." Leo smiled.

"And then we'll bash some bots!" Raph smiled, until he got a stern glare from Leo, "What?"

"We're going to bash some bots. You are going home." Leo told him.

"What, are you kidding? Come on, guys. Are we gonna let Leo power-trip like this?" Raph asked, thinking Leo was joking. I felt Raph's eyes on me, but I refused to look at him.

"I think Leo's right." Donnie said.

"You gotta control your temper. Until then, we just can't trust you." Leo told Raph.

I felt Leo's hand on my shoulder, as he, Donnie and Mikey began to follow the trail.

"Sorry, Raph." Mikey apologised.

I looked back to see Raph throw his sais to the ground in frustration. My eyes soften in sympathy, before following Leo. Once everything calmed down and we followed the trail. I began thinking about Raph's temper and behaviour. I can't really blame him for being a hot-head. Vic really does know how to get under your skin, or in Raph's position, scales.

"You doing alright?" I heard Leo ask me.

I nodded, "Yeah. I really don't blame Raph on his temper and the way he behaves. Vic just knows how get under your scales."

"Who's Vic?" Mikey asked.

"The man that Raph was yelling at." I answered.

"You've met this man before?" Donnie asked.

I nodded again. "When I was ten years old. My family and I lived in the apartment above him. I was only practicing my freerunning skills and Vic was just finding an excuse to get us out. He never had a thing for my family's heritages. His words and actions got the better of my sister, Asami. She lost her temper and got us under threat of getting sued under false accusations. And so we left the apartment and ended up where we are now." I told them my story with Vic.

"Wow. That guy is really mean." Leo said in surprise.

"But, your sister had no choice. As you said before, he got under her skin and she had to react." Donnie pointed out.

"No choice, Donnie?" I asked him, "She could've ignored him. She could've just let his words flow past her. Like a river over stone. But, she turned his words into weapons. Letting her anger get the best of her. That was the choice she made. I'm just worried if Raph will make the same choice."

Donnie fell quiet, must went into thought for a few minutes. The boys and I followed the trail to an abandoned warehouse that was just fifteen blocks away from Vic's place.

"We're here." Donnie told us. We looked over the corner and saw the warehouse. No Kraang at the front, but we were not sure to take the front.

"Are we really gonna do this without Raph?" Mikey asked.

"We can handle it." Leo answered.

"I don't know. It just feels like something's missing." Mikey said, missing Raph.

Thinking like Raph, I hit Mikey over the head with the same force he used.

"Ow! Thanks." Mikey yelped in pain, then smiled at me.

I smiled back, "Happy to help."

"Let's go." Leo told us, and began climbing the wall we were hiding behind.

We made our way in from the rooftop and entered the main floor. It was dark and was full of creates with strange symbols and cobwebs made from the red and black spiders.

"Spiders." Mikey whimpered, as we walked past a web with a red and black spider.

We kept walking down the warehouse, keeping an eye out for anything that might be moving in the shadows. The silence and tension was broken by Donnie and Mikey fighting. Mikey was slapping Donnie on top of his head.

"Hey!" Leo whispered. He was loud enough for Mikey to stop hitting Donnie and look at him. "Shh." He told them.

Donnie got back on his feet, and we continued to follow the trail to Vic and the Kraang, of course with Mikey giving Donnie a threat to hit him again if he tries anything. Heheh.

We followed a corridor to a back room, which three floors and was supported by a large pillar with mutagen flowing through it. Vic was tied to an office chair, and a group of Kraang were evaluating the video that was on Vic's phone. The boys and I hid behind a group of creates, waiting for the right time to help.

"The image that is the image on the phone is pleasing to the eye of Kraang. This is true. Kraang is looking what is known in earth terms as 'handsome' in this phone." The Kraang in the human disguise said, as he looked at the phone

"Well, you guys drive a hard bargain. Tell you what, I'll drop it down to $500,000. And you can keep the phone." Vic offered the Kraang. The Kraang turned to take a better look at the video. "Okay, $400,000." Vic haggled.

"This is our fight with the creatures called the turtles and the girl." The blue-armored Kraang on the right identified the video.

"The usefulness of this will be proven usefully with the more watching of this." The blue-armored Kraang on the left included.

"Also this is being a good image of Kraang." The human-disguised Kraang said with a smile in his voice, but not his face.

"We should be showing the image of Kraang to Kraang." The blue Kraang on the right proposed to the center Kraang.

Under Leo's direction, Mikey quietly threw his kusarigama around the office chair and started silently pulling Vic toward us. Vic noticed he was moving and looked behind him to see us.

I placed my finger over my lips, "Sshhh."

"We're gonna get you out of here." Leo told him quietly.

"What about my phone?" Vic asked loudly.

Leo mirrored me, "Shh."

"Don't shush me. I ain't leaving here without my phone." Vic shouted.

The volume of his voice caught the attention of the Kraang. They saw us and got their weapons ready at us. "Stop the one that needs to be stopped." One of the blue-armored Kraang ordered.

"Stop!" Another Kraang told us, getting its weapon ready.

"Remind me why we have to rescue this guy?" Donnie asked.

With a swift motion, the boys and I jumped into action and attacked the Kraang. We were taking them out fairly easy. However, our battle was cut short by a Kraang shooting a pipe of mutagen and screaming. The battle was halted into a silent stand-still.

"Kraang, go look at the place where the thing that makes the noise is, and tell us what thing makes that noise in that place." A blue-armored Kraang told the other.

The other Kraang walked into the shadowed area of where the scream was located. In a few seconds the Kraang was thrown across the room and the alien ran out in a panic. A loud roar echoed from throughout the area.

"I don't like the sound of that." Mikey said.

Out of the shadows emerged a mutant black and red spider. A round body with six eyes, four spider-like appendages coming out of its head, chubby arms with three fingers, and chubby legs with two toes.

"I don't like the look of it either." Mikey added to his last statement.

"What did you do to me? I'm hideous." Said the spider. I instantly recognised the spider was Vic.

I lightly smirked at the irony, "Well, I think it's an approvement."

Vic glared at me, "Why you little punk!"

"Don't worry. The five of us can handle him." Leo reassured us.

"Okay, this might be a bad time to point this out, but you sent one of the five of us home." Donnie pointed out to Leo.

"And right now, I wish it was me." Mikey whimpered.

"This is your fault. I'm gonna rip your heads off." Vic shouted at us.

"All right, guys, prepare to dish out the mighty wrath of justice." Leo told us, sounding like a superhero.

Donnie sighed, "Seriously, just yell, 'get him!'"

"Get-" Leo started, but got thrown into a batch of creates by Vic's appendages.

Donnie, Mikey and I dashed toward Vic and attacked him. He used his appendages to block our attacks and attack back. Leo used his speed to attack Vic in the front, then jumped over him and attacked him in the back. He was able to land a hit.

Mikey got cocky and asked Vic, "Is that all you've got?"

Vic got angry and spat a huge puddle of acid at us. The acid landed in front of us and it melted the entire area it landed in. That's not good.

"The answer I was looking for was 'yes'." Mikey said with an uneasy smile.

Vic took advantage of this new ability and began spitting acid at us. The turtles and I tried our best to keep away from the acid and try to attack Vic while he was distracted. Donnie and Leo were able to land some hits, but Vic began biting. Mikey threw a barrel into Vic's mouth. Vic's mouth squeezed the barrel and looked at us. Mikey threw another barrel at Vic's face. Vic spat out the barrel that was in his mouth and began chasing us. The turtles and I ran from Vic, but found ourselves on a platform of where the acid spit has melted a circle around us.

Only one thought came to my mind when we realised, "Uh-oh."

The turtles and I fell onto the second floor and we fell hard.

"We're no match for Spider Bytez." Mikey said.

"'Spider Bytez'?" Leo asked, as we recovered from the fall.

"Well, he's a spider, and he bites, so I thought-" Mikey began to explain.

"We get it." Leo cut Mikey off.

Vic jumped down and advanded toward us. We tried to run from him, but he had us cornered.

"This bug is fast." Leo exclaimed.

"Yeah, spiders aren't actually bugs. They-" Donnie tried to explain, but Vic grabbed him with his appendages and threw him into the creates behind us.

"Playtime's over, frogs." Vic told us. He spat acid in front of us, preventing us from running. He advanced toward us, ready to take us out.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from above us, "Wow. I didn't think this guy could get any uglier."

Vic, the turtles and I looked up and saw Raph on the edge of the first floor.

"Raph!" Donnie and Mikey exclaimed in relief and joy to see their brother. Leo and I smiled at Raph's arrival.

Raph jumped down from the edge and landed in front of Vic and the rest of us.

"Well, I think you've been punished long enough. Come and join us." Leo smiled.

"Hey, it's the kung fu frog with the salad tongs." Vic teased with a confident smile.

"Hey, it's the stupid loudmouth who's about to get his butt kicked." Raph shot back, getting ready for the fight.

Vic spat at Raph, but Raph dodged. During Raph's distraction, Vic circled the other turtles and I and spat his acid around us. We fell hard into the last floor. This fall was harder than the last one. I almost lost my glasses during the impact.

Donnie looked down and noticed a huge pool of Mutagen underneath us, "Uh, let's not fall through this floor, okay?"

Seeing that only Raph has Vic's attention, I grabbed Leo, Mikey and Donnie's hands and dragged them into the shadows of the creates and wait for the right moment to jump in.

**Vic's POV.**

"Dance for me, frog." I told the red masked frog. I spat multiple acid blobs at him, but he dodged every one of them. I looked down and an idea hit me.

"Watch me turn your friends into frog fries. I'll serve 'em up with your salad tongs." I told him.

I connected a web to the edge and jumped down to take down the other frogs and the punk girl. As I reached half-way down, I felt something disconnect the web and I fell dead on my face. I got back on my feet and saw the red masked frog in front of me with his salad tongs ready to attack me.

"Aw, froggy thinks he can stop me. Ribbit, ribbit." I taunted. I knew this frog had a very quick temper, so my words are my best weapon, "What's that, Tadpole? Are you too scared to leap off your Lily pad and get the warts knocked off you?"

The frog just took a deep breath and gave the same blank look the punk girl gave me when we were on the roof of my apartment. "Like a river over stone." He muttered. What was that surposed to mean?

The frog dashed at me and began attacking me. I was able to block some of his attacks, but he was too fast and was able to land a few hits on me. I stretched my antennaes at him, but he was able to block and keep hold of one with his salad tongs. I spat acid, but he redirected the hit at my antennae. I yelped in pain and looked my antennae. The acid burned a for a bit, but it wasn't to bad.

"That's some kung fu, frog." I said to the frog in surprise.

The other three frogs and the punk girl joined their friend.

The red masked frog smiled, "We're not kung fu frogs. We're Ninja Turtles."

Then they dashed toward me. I stretched my antennae at them, but the blue masked one blocked and the orange masked one rode my antennae and kicked me in the face. I tried to back up and jump for distance, but the purple and red masked frogs whacked me down. While I was on my way down, the punk girl flew out of the shadows of the room and kicked me twice, throwing me into the center pillar.

The red one stomped on the ground, breaking my phone into pieces. "My phone!" I cried.

The girl smiled, "**Déjà vu**. Eh, Vic?"

The way she said my name, like she knows me. But, I had no time to think about who the punk really is. I had to run. "You guys are gonna regret this." I told them. Then I made my escape.

**Eleanor's POV.**

The turtles and I chased Vic out of the warehouse, but as soon we reached the rooftops, he was already gone.

"I know a nice black widow that'd be great for him." Donnie said with a smile.

Leo looked at Raph with a small smile, "Good work, Raph. I just want to say-"

Raph cut him off, "You don't have to apologize."

Leo shook his head, "I wasn't going to."

"Oh. Good." Raph smiled.

"Yeah, Raph. Not bad for a bloated buffalo." Mikey joked.

Leo, Donnie and I looked at the stars. They smiled, but I frowned in worry. With the stars, I saw a coyote chasing a boy and a giant serpent watching the coyote. This worried me greatly. It means danger is sure to show itself and hurt one of my friends.

My train of thought was broken by Mikey screaming, "Okay! Raph is all-wise and powerful."

I looked and saw Raph was behind Mikey and had him in a headlock. "And?" Raph asked.

"And he's better than me in every possible way!" Mikey shouted.

I couldn't help but giggle at the brothers. "I love this family." I said with a smile.

Maybe I'm worrying too much. There's no way danger will come to these boys. I won't let it.


	4. New Friend, Old Enemy

New Friend, Old Enemy.

**Eleanor's POV.**

It was a normal, star-filled night, and I was in my room, reading my favorite comic book, enjoying the evening. Good thing it was a weekend, and I finished my homework. The only funny thing was that my sister, Asami, hasn't been home since this morning. Maybe on a field trip or something. When I finished my comic and placed it back on the shelf, next to my wardrobe, I heard tapping on my window. I looked and saw it was my turtle friends.

I opened the window, so they could hear me. "Hey, guys. What are doing here?" I greeted, then asked them.

"Well, we're starting our evening patrol for tonight. And we were thinking that maybe you could join us?" Donnie explained the wondered.

I thought for a few seconds, then smiled, "Give me one second." I told them.

I entered my wardrobe and got my ninja gear ready. I turned Nelli's lamp off and stroked her a 'good night'. She licked my hand, saying the same thing. I climbed out my window and met with the turtles.

During the night, we ran and jumped across the rooftops, having a bit of fun and enjoying the night. We reached a large jump and the boys began to make a little game out of it.

Donnie went first, "Check it out!" He jumped and performed a flying somersault.

Mikey jumped onto the water supply tank and flipped into the air. He made the jumped and Donnie clapped with a smile. Leo, Raph and I made the edge and looked the distance between the buildings.

"Top that, turtle chumps!" Mikey challenged from the other side.

Leo smiled, "All right, guys." He backed up to make some running speed. "Check this out." He told us.

He flipped toward the edged, jumped into the air with two flips, landed on to the next edge and cartwheeled toward his brothers.

"Whoa!" Donnie and Mikey exclaimed in amazement of Leo's stunt.

"C'mon Ellie." Leo called with a smile.

I smiled and backed up to make some running speed. I dashed toward the edge and flipped into the air. I landed on the edge with my hands and flipped toward the turtles. Mikey laughed in excitement. Donnie and Leo clapped at my performance.

"Cute, kiddies." We heard Raph snicker.

Raph cracked his neck and backed up a little. He dashed toward the edge and tackled toward us. Uh-oh. He landed into us and threw us into the wall behind us. My back felt like it was hit by a bull.

"Ow. Easy of the tackles, Raph. I don't have a shell, like you guys." I reminded Raph, as soon as I recovered from the tackle.

"Sorry, Elle." Raph smiled, as Leo helped me back to my feet.

"What was that? You didn't do any flips." Donnie asked and pointed out.

"Oops." Raph joked with a sheepish smile.

Suddenly, a loud noise alerted us. We hid behind a wall and kept an eye of Leo's motions. He reached for his weapon and sheathed it. The rest of us got our weapons ready and waited for Leo. We jumped out of the wall, ready for a fight, only to see a black and white... kitten. We unsheathed our weapons. Leo was shocked and dismayed. He got worked up over nothing.

"Don't give up, Leo. You might actually win this fight." Raph joked.

Mikey walked up to the kitten and picked it up, "It's a little kitty." He tickled the kitten and it purred. I smiled, I didn't know Mikey was so sweet with animals. He checked the kitten's collar and name-tag, "And its name is..."

"Mittens!" A voice shouted from close-by.

"Good guess. Wait, who said that?" Mikey said, then wondered where the voice was coming from.

We looked across from the building and saw a man, calling out from the window, "Mittens?"

"I think that's the owner." Donnie said.

Mikey smiled and began making his way to the man. Is he crazy?

"What are you doing?" Donnie shouted as Raph called, "Whoa, hey!" I warned, "Mikey!" And Leo exclaimed, "Mikey, wait!" We were shouting at the same time.

"What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner." Mikey explained, not realizing the mistake he was going to make.

"Are you an idiot?" Raph asked, then realized what he said, "Wait let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!"

"You can't show yourself to a human." Donnie pointed out.

"Why not? Ellie's a human." Mikey asked, then pointed out, pointing at me.

"Hey!" I growled, feeling slightly offended.

"Because they'll freak the heck out, that's why not." Donnie answered.

"Donnie has a point, Mikey. Humans have a habit of judging others by their cover." I explained, using my own experience as a human.

"No, they won't. I'm not so scary." Mikey defended.

"You're an ugly, green mutant armed with ninja weapons." Raph pointed out.

"Look, this guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular, cat-loving dude like him. Next thing you know, we'll be best buds. This is gonna be awesome!" Mikey explained, then made his way to the kitten's owner.

"No!" "Don't!" "Mikey!" "Wait!" Mikey's brother's and I called, but we were too late.

"Mittens!" The owner called.

Mikey arrived, with the kitten in his hand, "Hi. Here's your-"

The man cut Mikey off with a scream, "Ugly, green mutant freak!"

Panicking, Mikey tried to explain, "But I got your cat!"

Taking his words the wrong way, the man shouted, "Help! He's got my cat!"

"Dude, chill! I'm just-" Mikey tried to explain, but the kitten picked up on the panicking atmosphere between the two and attacked Mikey.

Mikey struggled to get the kitten off him, and ended up falling off the balcony and into the alley. The others and I just face-palmed, or shook our heads. We jumped into the alley, to meet with Mikey. He was sulking.

"Someone want to help me with this?" He asked. He leaned forward to show us the kitten scratching his shell in anger and protection.

"No." The boys answered in unison.

I sighed a little and walked over to the little brother, "Here, Mikey. I'll take her."

Mikey got the kitten off his shell and handed her over to me. The moment the kitten landed on my hands, she calmed down and began purring. I climbed up the wall, made my way to the balcony and knocked on the man's window. He looked out his window and saw me. He sighed in relief and took the kitten from me. He smiled in gratitude and closed his window. I made my way down to join the turtle brothers.

"Face it. Humans will never understand you. Heck, we don't even understand you." Raph pointed out, in matter-of-fact.

Mikey sighed and sulked in disappointment, "Yeah." He looked up and his frown turned into a smile, "But I bet that guy would!"

The rest of us followed Mikey's gaze and saw a large billboard with a poster of a middle-aged man in martial arts pose. The man was hosting a Martial Arts Expo for the week. My eyes widen in shock. What's he doing in New York?

"Chris Bradford. The martial arts superstar. With a chain of dojos across the country. He's your soul mate?" Leo identified and asked Mikey.

Mikey spun his nunchuck and mimicked Bradford's pose, "We've got so much in common."

"What if you stop standing like that?" Donnie asked in a deadpan tone.

Mikey dropped the pose, "We'll have a little less in common, but still a lot. And look, he's in town for a Martial Arts Expo." He explained, then smiled in excitement, "Maybe he'll show me his secret kata, 'the death dragon.' And I'll show him my secret kata, 'the secret kata'."

"Catchy." Donnie said.

"Check it out." Mikey smiled, as he showed us his 'secret kata'. It consisted of a goofy mixture of martial art moves. "But don't tell anyone you saw that." He whispered.

"No problem." Leo humored.

"I don't think Bradford is the best choice of trying to make friends, Mikey." I tried to warn Mikey about his idol.

"Says you." Mikey snapped with a glare. This caused me to sulk a little. I'm trying to protect him, not bully him.

"Ellie has a point." Leo said in my defense.

"Face it, Mikey, Chris Bradford is the last person on Earth that would be friends with you. Well, tied for last, with everyone else on Earth." Raph said. Mikey glared at him.

Suddenly, the alley felt tense. Ninjas in black and grey surrounded the turtles and me.

"Ninjas? In New York? Other than us?" Donnie wondered.

We got our weapons ready to begin the fight. One of the ninjas threw a star at us and it hit Donnie's staff. The battle started. We were holding our own quite well, but it's nothing like the Kraang, or Spider Bytez, or Snakeweed. Leo was smiling during the battle. This must be fun to him.

"Why are you so happy?" Raph asked, as he and Leo went back-to-back

"It's just nice to finally be fighting people, instead of robots, or aliens, or weed-monsters." Leo explained his smile.

Suddenly, a large man, in a mask, appeared in the alley. Without a word, the man attacked Leo. He punched him into the wall behind him. Before Raph could react, the man roundhouse kicked him a few feet. Donnie tried, but got attacked by his own weapon. In anger, I activated my taser ends of my eskrima sticks and dashed toward the man. Before I could attack the man, a masked kunoichi appeared and began attacking me. I blocked and countered, but she was fast and was using moves that were familiar to me. During this, Mikey threw his kusarigama at the man, but the man caught it and dragged Mikey toward him.

"What are you?" The man asked Mikey. The voice sounded very familiar to me.

Mikey got his distance from the man and the kunoichi kicked me a few feet. Leo cut the chain from the kusarigama. Police sirens interrupted the fight and the ninjas left. The kunoichi gave me a look, before she vanished. Leo looked at Raph and we made our way back to the Lair.

When we arrived, Leo wanted me to join him in telling Master Splinter about what happened tonight. As Leo told the story, I couldn't help but think about Chris Bradford being in New York, and those ninjas attacking us. I knew them very well, but if I said anything about them, would the turtles still be my friends? Or will they be like my family and just... I dare to think about it.

"Their leader was crazy good, by which I mean he was good and seemed a little crazy. Besides, he had all these guys with him. It- it wasn't a fair fight." Leo finished explaining his story to Master Splinter.

"What do you mean, 'fair fight'?" Master Splinter asked, confused by the phrase.

"A fair fight, you know, where either side could win?" Leo answered as much as he could. I lightly shook my head.

"So a fair fight is a fight you could lose." Splinter summarized.

"Well, yes, but - Well, what I what I mean is-" Leo tried to explain, but was lost for words.

"You don't want to assure your victory?" Splinter asked.

"No, I do, but-" Leo tried to answer, but Master Splinter tripped him over with his cane. Leo landed on his back, "Ow!" And Master Splinter pinned him, "Hey!"

"Was that fair?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Leo answered.

"Did I win?" Splinter asked.

Leo thought for a second and answered, "I see your point."

"Seek victory, not fairness." Splinter told Leo, as he released the pin.

Leo thought for a second and nodded, "Hai, sensei."

Master Splinter helped Leo back to his feet and walked off. I smiled, but the man and the kunoichi still bugged my mind. I just couldn't clear my head of them.

***The Next Day...***

Leo and Master Splinter were training in the dojo, as the rest of the turtles, including April and myself, were relaxing in the lounge. Raph was doing his daily work-out, Donnie was doing his thing on his laptop, April and Mikey were reading magazines, and I was just sitting up-side down on the couch.

"Whoa, that's rad! Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!" Mikey exclaimed, as he read his magazine, which was about the Martial Arts Expo.

"Mikey, you already have two human friends." April pointed out. Mikey looked at her in confusion. "Me and Ellie!" She answered.

"April, you and Elle don't count. We saved your lives, you have to like us." Mikey answered.

"Too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are." Raph said, has he did his push-ups.

"Wait, there is. The internet!" April answered, then looked at Donnie, "Donnie, can I see your laptop?"

"Uh, y uh, sure! Just a sec." Donnie replied, walking over and handing his laptop over to April.

"Check it out, it's a site where you can make friends - with anybody online." April explained about the online chat site. I've never been a big fan of the site myself. Eh, to each his own.

"Sweet!" Mikey cheered, taking the laptop from April and began typing. He looked over the site and gasped in excitement, "Ohh, Chris Bradford's on here!" He began typing again, "He'll be my first friend!"

Mikey waited intensely for Bradford's reply.

"Mikey, people don't always respond immed-" April tried to tell Mikey, but the computer made a sound that indicated Bradford replied, "But sometimes they do."

"No way! Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship! I have a friend! Thanks, April!" Mikey exclaimed in happiness and joy. He hugged April, threw the laptop off his lap and made his way to the exit.

"Where are you going?" Donnie asked, until he noticed his laptop was heading for the ground, "Hey!" He dived in and saved it from falling to pieces.

"To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford." Mikey answered.

"This guy's famous. He probably has thousands of 'friends'." April reminded Mikey, adding quotation marks to 'Friends'.

"And guess who's number 5,286?" Mikey asked with a smile.

"You?" April asked.

"Daniel Ramirez! And I'm right next to him. Later!" Mikey answered, then made his way to the city.

"Well, this ought to be interesting." April said.

"Should we go after him?" Donnie asked.

Raph shook his head, "Eh, he's gotta learn somehow."

I felt Donnie look at me. His voice broke my train of thought. "You feeling okay, Ellie? You've been awfully quieter than usual."

I looked at him and faked a smile, "Y-yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking about how those ninja's found us. And I think I know."

Leo exit the dojo, just in time to listen to what I just said.

"Can you show us?" He asked. I noticed the determination in his eyes. I nodded in agreement.

***A little bit later...***

I lead the boys to the same alley where we were attacked. We were on top of the highest building and looked down at the alley. I could still sense the ninjas' aura around the area.

"They must have been watching us from here." I told the turtle brothers.

"The perfect place to stage an ambush." Leo summarized.

"It wasn't very fair, was it?" Donnie wondered. I had to admit, the kunoichi and the ninja weren't being very fair on us. But, why spy on us and attack us when our guards were down?

"It's not about fairness. It's about victory." Leo shot at Donnie, quoting what Splinter told him.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Donnie tried to apologize, until Mikey was at it again. Talking about his new 'human friend'.

"And then and then Chris Bradford put on his hakama. Man, that guy can rock a hakama!" Mikey told Raph, giddy with admiration and excitement.

"Yeah, maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to the prom." Raph remarked with a sarcastic tone.

Of course, Mikey continued, "And then after that, he-"

Raph cut him off, "Oh, enough! You've been going on about this for three hours."

"Ooh, someone sounds jealous." Mikey smirked, "You just can't admit that you were the "R" word." Raph looked at him in slight confusion. "Rong?" Mikey finished.

"I'm not wrong." Raph defended.

"Oh, yeah? If you don't want to talk about my friend, I've got two other brothers who do." Mikey said, hugging Leo and Donnie.

"Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else." Leo admitted.

"Like the concept of the silent "W," perhaps?" Donnie included.

Mikey looked at me with a smile, "You like Chris Bradford, right Ellie?"

"I'm sorry, Mikey. But, I don't trust him." I told him.

Mikey pouted, "Fine. Heh, I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else: Chris Bradford." Then, he made his way to the kick-boxing dojo down the street.

The rest of us made our way back to the Lair. Raph went into his room to feed Spike, Leo began sharpening his ninjutsu skills on the punching bag, Donnie returned to surfing the web, and I was in the dojo, trying to clear my head from my negative thoughts. But, no matter how hard I try, they just keep coming.

In my mind, a vision began to clear. An innocent, playful boy was hanging out with his older brothers. Until he went off on his own. He meets a coyote. The coyote played nice with the boy, until a giant serpent of fire appeared and began to hunt down the boy. The boy tried to defend himself, but the coyote stabbed the boy in the back.

I snapped back into reality before anything else happened. The vision just keeps getting worse. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and took a few deep breathes to calm myself down.

"Is something troubling you, my child?" I heard Splinter's voice from behind me.

I turned to him and faked a smile, "I'm alright, Sensei. Just trying to clear my head."

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes at me, "You're a terrible liar, Eleanor."

I frowned and sulked a little. I silently nodded my head. Splinter walked to his room, that was within the dojo. He looked back at me and motioned to tell me to follow him. I entered the room and sat in front of him.

Splinter looked at me with kind and concerned eyes, "Tell me. What is troubling you, Eleanor?"

I remained silent for a few seconds. A large cloud of thoughts entered my mind. I sighed, I have to to tell him what I think. "I don't trust Mikey's new friend, Sensei. Something about him clouds my mind in doubt and worry."

"Indeed. I also believe that there is more to it than that." Splinter said, then included.

I sulked a bit, "During my meditation, I had a vision of a boy trying to befriend a coyote. However the coyote back-stabbed the boy and turned him over to a giant serpent. The serpent ate the boy." I told him.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought. He looked at me, "Do not hesitate to show your emotions, Eleanor. What you hide may be dangerous to those around you."

I nodded in understanding, "**分かりました****. ****ありがとうございます**(Wakarimashita. Arigatōgozaimasu/I understand. Thank you).

Splinter nodded. We made our way to the dojo and caught Leo sweep Raph with a technique I wished I would never see again. The Death Dragon Kata. A vision of Uncle Saki performing the kata on a Japanese man in white clouded my mind. Then, the man was replaced by a younger version of myself. Thunder clapped loudly in my mind. I blinked, snapping myself back to reality.

"Where did you learn that?" Splinter asked his sons. By the sound of his voice, he was not happy to see the kata either.

"Mikey learned it from his new friend." Leo answered.

"The man who taught him that kata is no friend! It comes from the Shredder." Splinter explained.

The turtles were shocked to learn this. "Shredder?" Donnie asked.

"You mean Bradford is one of his students?" Leo asked.

"He must be." Splinter answered with narrow eyes.

"So Bradford's just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to you." Leo summarized, finally understanding.

"Ohh, what a relief! Everything makes sense again." Raph sighed with a relieved smile.

I thought for a second, then my vision finally made sense. The boy was Mikey, the coyote was Bradford and the giant serpent was Shredder. "Guys! Mikey's in trouble!" I told the brothers.

The brothers and I got our ninja gear together and made our way to the roof of the kick-boxing dojo, that Bradford was staying at. Donnie was chewing gum the entire way. Once he was done, he put the gum onto his contraption, a glassing-cutting gadget. He cut a circle into a window, removed the glass, and reached into the hole to unlock the window.

The turtles and I silently made our way into the dojo and began taking down the ninjas, one-by-one. Once we were done, Mikey saw us and was relieved and happy.

"Dudes! That was sporadic!" He told us with a smile.

Raph, Leo and I shushed him to be quiet. Donnie face-palmed, "That's not what that means!"

Using a small knife, Leo cut Mikey free from his binds, patted his head and smiled. We were relieved that Bradford didn't harm Mikey.

Mikey stood up and threw his arms around me. This surprised me and his brothers. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you, Elle. You were right about Rad-Brad." He whimpered with his head over my shoulder.

I hugged Mikey back with a small smile, "Don't worry about, Mikey. You're unharmed. That's all that matters."

After that heart-warming moment, a thought came to Raph. "So, how do we get back at Bradford?"

Leo and I looked at each other and smiled. "We've got a plan." Leo told Raph.

After explaining the plan to the others, the Turtles and I made our way back into the sewers and hid in the shadows, waiting for Bradford to follow us. After a few seconds, he did. He was accompanied by a dark-skinned, Brazilian man, who I recognized as Xever, the kunoichi and a group of ninja. As they advanced through the tunnels, looking for us, the Turtles and I began lowering the numbers one-by-one.

Once the group reached a main sewage system, Bradford noticed the numbers were lowing. When it was only Bradford, Xever and the kunoichi left, Xever lit up a flare signal and aimed it upward. The light revealed most of the ninjas hanging and out-cold.

"Show your faces!" Xever shouted. Leo and Raph appeared out of the water, while Mikey, Donnie and I emerged from the shadows. "They've trapped us!" Xever summarized.

"Take 'em down!" Bradford told Xever and the kunoichi.

Leo and Raph dashed and attacked Bradford, Mikey and Donnie went for Xever, and I went into combat with the kunoichi. The boys weren't doing very good. As Bradford and Xever were too fast and were able to redirect their attacks. I was holding up quite well against the kunoichi. But, the more I fought her, the more familiar she began to feel.

Donnie clicked his fingers, indicating it was time to switch opponents. The boys switched and were doing a whole lot better. That they were able to corner them. I read the kunoichi's movements and began to counter and redirect the attacks right back at her.

I felt a smile behind her mask. "Not bad for a **子ども **(Kodomo/Child)." She said.

Finally, I heard the kunoichi's voice. And it sounded just like... "No..." I grimaced as horror struck me like lightning. The kunoichi was my sister, Asami. "**どうして**(Doshite/Why)?" I asked.

I couldn't fight my own sister, so I dropped my weapons. Asami took advantage of this and aimed to punch me into the wall, but Leo blocked her attack and threw her into Bradford and Xever.

Mikey made the call, "Hit it!"

Donnie and Leo turned the valve and a rapid river of raw sewage flowed through the tunnel and dragged Bradford, Xever and Asami deeper into the sewers. Along with Shredder's trio, my fear was washed away with them.

"Well, that didn't seem very fair." Raph joked, as soon as everything calmed.

"No, it wasn't." Leo smiled.

The boys and I laughed at the joke of winning an unfair fight.

Mikey raised his hand, "High three!"

The boys 'high-three'ed with Mikey. I was about to, but noticed my hand had five fingers. So, I didn't.

A little later, the boys decided to celebrate with pizza in the lounge. However, my happiness was replaced with worry, so I couldn't eat. I think Splinter was worried too, because he was stroking his beard in thought. His eyes clouded with concern.

"Um, Sensei, Ellie, aren't you guys hungry?" Donnie asked, noticing we didn't touch a slice of pizza.

"I fear we are celebrating too soon." Splinter told his sons.

"I agree." I admitted.

"Too soon? The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time." Raph pointed out with a smile.

"Shredder knows I'm alive. And worse, he knows about all of you. It's my worst nightmare come true." Splinter said. Worry and fear was evident in his voice and his aura.

"So it's not over?" Leo asked.

Splinter shook his head, "Oh, no. It's just beginning."

This began to make me think. If Asami is one of Shedder's students, then that means Saki is planning his next move. And when that happens, Splinter, the boys and I need to be ready for him. Hopefully, I should be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

I hope...


	5. I Think His Name Is Baxter Stockman

I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman.

**Eleanor's POV.**

Another day, another chance to reflect on what I've learned in the past few days. Asami lied about attending college to become a vet, and joined Uncle Saki's clan of ninjas. Mother and Father have been giving me the cold shoulder and the silent treatment. And still no sign of the Kraang or where Kirby is. I'm starting to get really worried.

I lied on my bed, with Nelli spleeping on my stomach, reading one of my favorite comics. As soon as I got half-way through the comic, my laptop signaled that a friend was messaging me. The sound caused Nelli to wake up with a startle and growl at the laptop.

I picked Nelli up from my stomach and put her on my shoulder. I stood up, put the comic book back on the shelf and made my way to my computer. I sat down and checked my inbox. The title said it was urgent. I scrolled down abit to see the sender. It was from Donatello. I clicked the e-mail and read the messege.

_Ellie,_

_I know it's a bit late, but you have got to come to the Lair as soon as you can. I've built something that will blow your mind._

_Donatello._

I closed my laptop, put Nelli back into her tank, got my ninja gear ready and made my way to my open window. Before I climbed out, I looked at my green bandana mask. It was the last gift given to me by my former Sensei. I tied my bandana around my waist, climbed out the window and made my way to the Turtles' Lair.

As I jumped over buildings and dashed up walls, a thought came to me. Why did Donnie e-mail me? I guess I could ask him when I get there.

I reached a familiar manhole, climbed down into the sewers and made my way to the Turtles' Lair. When I arrived, I've never seen such boredom in my life. Leo was sitting on the couch, Mikey was reading a comic book, and Raph was pacing back and forth.

"What happened to you guys?" I asked.

"Master Splinter grounded us for a week." Leo answered.

I tilted my head in slight confusion, "Why? What did you do?"

"Take a wild guess." Raph replied as he paced and groaned in boredom.

I thought for a second and looked at Mikey. "You tried that skateboard stunt, didn't you, Mikey?"

Mikey sat up in surprise, "How did you know?"

I shrugged, "A girl has her secrets."

Raph groaned and sighed, "This bites! I can't believe we're stuck down here for a whole week!"

From the toll gates, Donnie ran in, "Guys, guys!" He called, then saw me, "Ellie, you're here! That's good. You wanna see what I made?"

Raph looked at his brothers and I, "This is how bored I am." He looked Donnie, "Yes, Donnie. I do."

"Ok, ok, ok! Remember the other day I was scrounging in that military junkyard?" Donnie asked with an excited grin on his face.

"No." His brothers answered in unison.

"Well, I found an incredibly advanced A.I. microchip, made from, get this, self-assembled chain-linked copolymers!" Donnie replied.

Mikey smiled, "That's my favorite kind of copolymer!"

Leo and I looked at Mikey with raised eyebrows. In simple terms, a copolymer is a chain of chemicals that creates the elements in the periodic table.

"Mine too! And I used it to make this." Donnie grinned and showed us a small device that had options of a music player, "The most advanced music player in the world."

Donnie's brothers stared in awe, "Whoa."

I giggled in amazement, "Wow."

Donnie activated the music player, "So who wants to try it?"

Mikey immediately raised his hand, "I do! Toss me the T-pod."

Donnie raised an eyebrow, "The T-pod?"

"Turtle. Pod. T-pod." Mikey explained, then smiled, "I am so good at naming stuff."

Donnie gave Mikey the T-Pod and he inserted the earphones into his ears. Leo, Donnie, Raph and I took a step back.

Raph looked at Donnie with a raised eyebrow, "You're really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology directly into Mikey's head? What if it melts his brain?"

Donnie smiled with confidence, "It won't. And even if it did, who'd know the difference?"

Mikey pressed the play button. Suddenly, he screamed in agony. His scream startled his brothers and I.

"What? What's wrong?" Donnie asked out of worry.

"It's polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Mikey shouted in desperation.

Donnie walked over and pressed the 'next' button. Mikey smiled, "Thanks."

Mikey suddenly started listening to the music of the next song. He seemed to like the tune because he started dancing. Must be electronica music or techno.

Raph waved his hands in defeat and began walking toward the toll gates, "That's it. I gotta get out of here."

Leo noticed and followed him, leaving Donnie and I to watch Mikey dance, "Where are you going? We're grounded."

"I don't care. I gotta do something or I'm gonna go nuts!" Raph replied. He picked up his skateboard and looked at his brothers and I, "Let's find a skate spot!"

"Skate spot? I'm totally in!" Mikey shouted with a smile, then resumed dancing.

"But what's Splinter gonna say?" Leo asked in worry.

"I don't know what's going on, because they snuck out while I was asleep." Raph answered, mimicking Master Splinter's voice.

Leo chuckled in sarcasm, "Real mature." Then he turned serious, "But I'm your leader. And as your leader, I say nobody's going."

"Well as your followers, we're going anyway." Raph argued.

"Well as your leader, I'm going with you. To lead you. Away from bad stuff." Leo replied, trying to think of what to say. I lightly giggled. Raph just performed reverse psychology on his own brother.

Suddenly, Mikey screamed again and fell to his knees.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked his youngest brother.

"It's back to polka! We've got to get some more tunes on this!" Mikey answered with a pout.

A thought came to me as I looked at the T-Pod. "Can I give the T-Pod a little look, while you guys get you boards?"

"Yeah, sure." Mikey answered, giving me the T-Pod.

The boys went into their rooms, to get their skateboards. I sat on the coach and began slightly tinkering with the T-Pod, lightly sulking while I was at it. I don't have a skateboard of my own. Wanted one ever since I was five, but I never got one. 'Not a girl's toy'.

The boys got their skateboards and made their way to the toll gates. I finished tinkering with the T-Pod and gave it back to Mikey. I felt a hand being placed on my right shoulder. I looked over my left shoulder and saw Leo's concerned face.

"You're not coming?" He asked.

I shook my head, "I don't have a skateboard."

Mikey frowned, "Aw man. That's rough, Ellie."

"Shame we don't have a spare." Donnie included, rubbing the back of his neck.

I smiled, "It's alright. Besides, you guys need someone to keep an eye on Master Splinter, in case he wakes up."

Raph, Donnie and Mikey smiled at my idea. Leo looked at me with concern, "You sure you're gonna be alright?"

I smiled and waved my hand, "I'll be fine. You guys go and have fun. Just be sure to stay on the rooftops and be back before sunrise."

Leo nodded with a small smile and joined his brothers. The brothers made their way to the train tracks, and a thought came to me. "Don't lose the T-Pod, Mikey!" I called, but the boys were already gone.

I sighed and began to sharpen my ninjutsu skills of the Chu Gar Praying Mantis style with the punching bag.

"You have very impressive skills, Eleanor." I heard a familiar voice speak from behind me.

I stopped the punching bag from swinging toward me, turned around and saw it was Master Splinter.

I bowed in respect, "**ありがとう**(Arigato/Thank you), Splinter-sama."

Master Splinter looked around and noticed how quiet it is in the Lair.

"Do you know where my sons are?" He asked me.

I thought for a few seconds, "They're doing their own thing." That wasn't a whole lie, neither is it the whole truth. I promised the boys. But, Master Splinter understood with a nod.

"May I speak to you in the dojo?" He asked.

I nodded and followed him into the dojo. Master Splinter sat in front of the tree. I sat in front of him.

"If you do not mind me asking, how long have you been learning ninjutsu?" Splinter asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I tried to think back as far as I can. "As far as I can remember, Sensei." I answered honestly.

Splinter nodded in understanding and stroked his beard, "Who taught you?"

I tried to hold back my tears, when the face and name came to me, but the tears couldn't stay where I wanted them to stay. I wiped the tears from my eyes and sulked, "**ごめんなさい**(Gomen'nasai/I'm sorry). I don't want to talk about it."

Splinter nodded in understanding. Realising how late it was getting, Splinter and I decided to hit the hay. Splinter slept in his room and I decided to sleep in the lounge, on the couch. Tears fell down my cheeks, as I laid my head on the cushions. My eyelids slowly fell as I was taken away to Dream World.

**Leonardo's POV.**

After defeating a strange man in an amature battle armor, my brothers and I quietly made our way back home. We returned using the water-way, much more quieter than the toll gates. I rose from the water and Master Splinter was nowhere in sight. I looked at the couch and Ellie was sleeping soundly.

"We made it home!" Raph smiled, as he jumped out of the water.

"Shh! It's 2:00 A.M." I quietly snapped at him.

"And Splinter's still asleep. This is epic." Mikey grinned.

"It's not epic. It was a really bad idea." I told him. The guilt I felt from the idea was hitting my stomach quite hard.

"No, it wasn't." Raph argued. He flipped onto the nearest bean-bag chair before continuing, "We got out there and stomped a sleazeball. So what's the problem?"

The room went silent for a few moments, until Donnie slightly yawned, "I think it's time we hit the sack."

The rest of us agreed and made our way to our rooms. I walked by Ellie and couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked. Unfortunately, her peaceful look faded into a troubled look. Either she was having a nightmare, or she was getting cold. Thinking quickly, I got a blanket from the spare bedroom, the Lair had, and gently threw it over Ellie's delicate figure. Her face looked less troubled, but was still troubled. Tears began falling down her cheeks.

For some reason, I couldn't bare to see her hurting like this. So, I gently placed my hand over Ellie's head and stroked her hair. Ellie's hair felt silky and soft, like it was made from spider silk. I felt my face heated up and my heart beated faster. Before she woke up, I made my way to my room and went to sleep.

***The next day...***

**Eleanor's POV.**

This morning, the boys were back. But, they weren't looking so good. Master Splinter instructed that the Turtles and I perform a **後方転回**(Koho Tenkai/Behind rotation). The boys weren't doing well. Raph was just rolling around the dojo. Leo tried to do a hand-stand, which starts the technique, but his stance was too loose.

"Knees higher, Leonardo!" Master Splinter told Leo, as Leo fell on his head and... took a snooze? "Extend, Michelangelo!" Splinter instructed Mikey, who was just jumping around on his back. "Raphael, you call that a**後方転回**? Because I do not!" Splinter told Raph, as he rolled by.

Donnie flipped in mid-air, but his landing was very rough. What was wrong with these boys? They were behaving like they've been awake nearly all night.

"**止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Splinter shouted.

The boys recovered and joined me, in line, to listen to Master Splinter.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Splinter asked his sons.

"Something we wanna tell you? Nope." Mikey asked, then answered with a smile.

"You all seem tired." Splinter pointed out.

"We're not." Leo quickly answered.

"Wide awake." Donnie said with a smile.

"Fresh as daisies." Raph agreed.

Splinter gave his sons a look. Mikey yawned and toppled over, falling asleep.

"So you would not object to a little Randori." Splinter proposed, with his bokken ready.

The boys flinched. Splinter swung his bokken and was able to hit his sons, who were too tired to dodge or counter.

"Well I hope you have learned, turtles, that truth isn't the only thing that hurts." Splinter told the Turtles.

After a brief training exercise, and the boys were able to catch up on their sleep, the Turtles and I were able to kick back and relax. Leo switched on the television and Space Heroes was on. The episode was a rerun. Leo was watching the episode with a cute smile. I couldn't help but smile myself. I'm not the only one that likes Space Heroes.

"Captain Ryan! The rebellion is growing! We have to get off this planet!" Mr. Crenshaw reported to Captain Ryan.

"No!" Captain Ryan answered.

"But, Captain-" Crenshaw began to panick, but Captain Ryan slapped him across the face.

"I said no! We may have started this rebellion by accident, but by the rings of Nebulon, we are going to finish it on purpose!" Captain Ryan said in herosism. Leo mimicked his words exactly.

"Aye, sir!" The crew and I said. Leo looked at me in surprise. I smiled at him and shrugged. He smiled back at me and returned to the television.

"Seen this enough times there, chief?" Raph asked, sitting on the bean-bag chair, reading his comic book.

"Would you shh! This is the best part." Leo told Raph.

Captain Ryan lifted his ray-gun with a smile, and then the program switched to the news broadcast, "We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news."

Leo and I groaned in disappointment. But, the news footage caught our attention.

"We've received shocking footage of an assault on the TCRI office complex in Brooklyn." The news reporter announced, as the footage played.

An African American man, in a large robotic suit, was attacking the offices of the building. Everyone was running and screaming in terror. I tilted my head a little. The man looked very familiar. And there was something on his armor that felt like it didn't belong to him.

"At last I will have my revenge!" The man shouted, in a slight robotic voice.

"Who- who are you?" The man behind the camera asked.

"You'll never know. I'm the thing that haunts your nightmares! I'm the nameless shadow who-" The man in the suit answered, but began to ramble.

"Baxter?" Another man, who was hiding under his desk, asked.

"No." The man in the suit answered in his normal voice. My eyes widen in shock.

"Baxter Stockman?" The man under the desk recognised.

"No!" The man in the suit, Baxter Stockman, answered, looking away.

The man smiled and pointed at Baxter, "Hey, everybody! It's Baxter Stockman!"

Everyone in the footage began laughing at Baxter.

"I think his name is Baxter Stockman." Raph said, pointing out the obvious. (**A/N: *Laughs* He said it! He said it!**)

I tilted my head in slight confusion, "Baxter?"

The boys looked at me. "You know him?" Leo asked me.

"He used to work with my father, and was my baby-sitter." I answered, saying the last part in a low and deadpan tone. Then something came to me, "Wait, you guys know him too?"

"We met him last night." Leo answered.

"He was gonna break into a building, so we beat him up." Raph explained.

"No wonder you guys were so tired." I summarized, placing my fist over my hand.

The boys and I returned to the footage to see what Baxter was gonna do next.

"Is this because I fired you?" The boss of the building asked.

"That copy machine was already broken when I-" Baxter tried to explain, but got back into his 'character', "I mean, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"How did he upgrade his armor so fast?" Leo wondered. Then I noticed it.

Baxter returned to his rampage and the footage ended.

"Guys, on his chest." I alerted the Turtles. I made the footage go back a frame and paused it at a close-up of the armor's chest, where a familiar, round device can be seen, "Isn't that?"

The boys' faces turned to shock as they noticed. Donnie turned to Mikey, "He has the T-pod?"

"Oh, um I might have dropped that during the fight." Mikey answered, smiling sheepishly.

"You dropped it during the fight? Nice goin', Mikey!" Donnie shouted with an angry glare.

"It's your fault!" Mikey argued.

"How is it my fault?" Donnie asked.

"You know I can't be trusted with nice things!" Mikey shouted.

That only made Donnie mad, as he glared with a snarl.

I gave Mikey an angry glare my self, "Bad move, Michelangelo!"

"So the A.I. chip is upgrading his armor the same way it upgraded the T-pod?" Leo wondered.

"It seems that way." I answered.

"And if it keeps going, there's no telling how powerful he'll get." Donnie alerted.

"This has gone way too far. We have to tell Splinter about this." Leo told us. I nodded in agreement.

"What? That we turned some nutjob into a super villain? Do you know what he'll do to us for that? I mean, he pounded us into the ground just for being sleepy!" Raph asked, then explained.

"But, this time we'll be telling the truth." I spoke up. Raph just gave me a look and I kept quiet.

"Look, we beat Stockman once, we can beat him again. We track him down, grab the T-pod, and get back here before Splinter knows anything." Donnie told us and planned out.

"If my opinion counts for anything, Donnie's right." Mikey spoke up, sitting up-side down on the bean-bag chair and reading his comic book.

"Hey, thanks, Mikey. But it doesn't." Donnie smiled, but his smile faded on the last part.

"Didn't think so." Mikey commented.

"But, how are we able to track the T-Pod down?" Leo pointed out.

I thought for a second and got my cell phone out of my glove. I activated my phone and it showed a map of New York with a blinking green light on an abandoned warehouse twelve blocks from the Lair.

Donnie noticed and asked, "What is that?"

I smiled and showed the Turtles the app. "When you guys were grabbing your skateboards, last night. I installed a GPS marker on the T-Pod. Incase it got lost or stolen. I also uploaded an app, on my phone, that allows me to track down anything with my specific GPS marker on it." I explained.

Donnie smiled and threw his arms around me. Yeah, I know. I'm as much of a geek as Donnie and Leo are. Make fun of me all you want. Nerds will be appreciated someday.

The boys and I got our ninja gear and quietly made our way to the city. This time, I was coming with them. Following my GPS app, we found the abandoned warehouse and landed upon the roof. The Turtles and I looked through the window and saw Baxter sitting in the center and was looking like he was thinking of a name for himself. We quietly made our way inside and surrounded Baxter.

"I'm not Baxter Stockman. I am 'the Baxman'!" Baxter began with his names, "No, no. I am- I am 'the Suitinator'!" Baxter thought for a second and shook his head, "Aw, that's terrible!" He tried again, 'Captain Punch-you-hard'!" Then shook his head again and sobbed, "Why is this so difficult?"

"I kinda liked 'the Suitinator'." Mikey said, breaking the silence.

Baxter heard Mikey's voice and saw the rest of us, "You guys again?"

I smiled at Baxter, "Long time, no see, Baxter."

He looked at me and was surprised, "Eleanor? You're with these freaks?"

"All right, Stockman. Nobody wants to hurt you." Leo told him.

Raph looked at Leo, "We don't? Did I miss a meeting?"

"We just want the T-pod." Leo finished his negociation with Baxter.

"Give up my source of power? Why? So you can laugh at me again? Throw me in a dumpster?" Baxter asked with anger flaring in his aura and clear in his eyes.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I stared at Stockman in slight shock and confusion. Is that what the fuss is really about? Being laughed at and getting thrown into a dumpster?

Raph growled, then smiled, "Sounds good to me."

Thinking head-first, Raph dashed toward Stockman. Stockman power-punched him into a wall, which cracked on impact and covered Raph with a small pile of rubble. The rest of us tried to gang-up on Baxter, but Baxter stretched his arms out at Mikey and Donnie. His arms caught the boys and threw them back into the walls behind them. Stockman aimed for Leo next, but Leo dodged the arm and sliced it off. Stockman used the other arm, but I cut it off with my tanto.

Stockman laughed as his arms grew back in a matter of seconds. Like a robotic Snakeweed.

"What the-?" Leo wondered. Suddenly, a drone jumped onto Leo's head and blinded him. Leo screamed and started running around, "Get it off! Get it off!"

Donnie and Raph got out of their piles of rubble. The drone noticed them and shot red lasers at them and myself. Luckily, we jumped out of the way. We got our weapons ready, but the drone shot them out of our hands.

"Lasers!" Donnie yelped.

The drone shocked Leo with red electrical currents and Leo began running toward us. Donnie, Raph and I ran away from him to stay clear from the lasers. I tried to deflect or block the lasers with my tanto, but the drone got lucky and shot my glasses off my eyes, and Leo accidently stepped on them, breaking them. That's terrific. And I just got them re-adjusted. I felt Donnie grab me hand and lead me to cover.

"Incoming!" Donnie yelled, as he, Raph and I jumped behind a small wall of rubble.

"What now, genius?" Raph asked.

Donnie looked ahead and noticed something. With Raph's help, Donnie lifted up a sheet of glass and the drone shot at the glass. The laser deflected off the glass, and bounced off some other surfaces, until it hit the drone and sliced it in half.

Leo re-adjusted his mask and smiled, "Thanks." Then, he noticed me without my specs. "What happened to your glasses, Ellie?"

I pointed to the ground, where what was left of my glasses were. Leo scratched the back of his head with sheepish smile. I simply shrugged. They're just glasses I could get a new pair in the morning. Stockman's laugh brought us back to the fight.

Stockman had Mikey dangling from his own kusarigama. Stockman threw Mikey at Raph, who caught him. Leo used his katana to cut the chain and free Mikey. Donnie tried to attack Stockman with his retractable blade, but Stockman caugh the staff and snapped it into pieces.

The Turtles and I tried a group attack on Stockman, but he was able to take us all down. He picked us up, walked out of the warehouse, through a wall,and threw us into the nearest dumpster.

"Foolish turtles! Did you really think you could defeat me?" Stockman laughed, then asked.

"Well, yeah." Mikey answered.

"All my life, people have laughed at me. The other kids in school, my co-workers, the woman who fixes the copy machine! How was I supposed to know you don't pour toner in the top? But when they behold the power of this suit, they won't be laughing anymore! They'll tremble in terror!" Stockman monologued, until the T-Pod on his chest glowed a bright red.

The robotic armor merged with Stockman, creating a large cybornetic entity. Unfortunately, I could only see very badly blurred images, so I can't tell you what the armor looks like now.

"What's happening?" Leo asked.

"Stockman and the T-pod. They're merging. They're becoming one single entity." Donnie answered with fear evident in his voice.

"The Stockmanpod." Mikey named the entity.

I bit my lower lip in slight panic, "This is gonna hurt."

The panic got the best of the boys as they quickly climbed out of the dumpster and dashed down the streets. Leo had hold of my hand, so I wouldn't get lost. Stockman followed us, and was right on our tail.

"The Stockmanpod's right on top of us!" Mikey shouted.

"Stop calling him that! That's a stupid name!" Raph told Mikey.

"Split up! He can't follow us all!" Leo instructed.

"No way! He's gonna follow me!" Mikey objected.

"Why would he follow you?" I asked him.

"They always follow me!" He answered, looking behind to see that Stockman was getting closer.

"Stop being paranoid and just do it!" Leo told Mikey.

The Turtles and I did what Leo said and split up into different streets. Leo still had hold of my hand, so I had to join him. Stockman was only left with Mikey. Huh, turns out he was right about something. Guess there's a first for everything. Hehe.

"I told you he was gonna follow me!" Mikey screamed as he dashed off with Stockman close behind him.

Leo and I opened the closest manhole and made our way down the sewers, to meet up with the others. Donnie and Raph were able to find us within a few seconds. Mikey was taking a bit longer, but he found us eventualy. We quietly made our way back to the Lair, well tried to stay quiet anyway. Until the lights were switched on and Master Splinter was just outside the dojo, waiting for us. Uh-oh.

"Sensei!" Leo greeted in alarm.

"And where have you been?" Splinter asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Nowhere." Raph answered blandly.

"How did you get so hurt?" Splinter asked, noticing our bruises and cuts.

"Oh! That! Um, well, we were um-" Leo tried to think of a good lie, but came short.

"Hit-" Raph helped, covering his left eye.

"By a-" Donnie tried to finish.

"Bus?" Mikey finished with a smile.

Master Splinter raised an eyebrow, not believing their story.

"Hit by a bus?" Donnie whispered to Mikey.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? Meteor? Cow? Flying building?" Mikey asked. Donnie glared at Mikey and Mikey shot a glare back. Leo face-palmed.

"Enough!" Master Splinter shouted, hitting the ground with his cane. The boys stood up and stood still. Master Splinter's eyes were filled with fatherly concern, "Tell me what happened."

The boys looked at each other. I sighed. No use of hiding the truth now. "We might need to take this in the dojo, Sensei."

Splinter nodded.

***A little later...***

"And then I threw hot cheese in his face and ran away." Mikey finished the story of what happened to us with Stockman.

"Very resourceful, Michelangelo. But I'm still highly disappointed in you all. The first rule of being a ninja is 'do no harm.' Unless you mean to do harm. Then do lots of harm." Master Splinter told us, in praise of Mikey's smart thinking, then in disappointment of the boys sneaking out, and at me for lying to him.

"You're right, Sensei. I guess we did make a mess of things." Leo said in an honest tone.

"So what do you think would be a fitting punishment?" Master Splinter asked him.

Leo thought for a second, then looked at his teacher in the eye, "We need to clean up our mess."

"Yes. You must stop this 'Stockmanpod'." Splinter agreed.

"But, Sensei, that guy's already kicked our shells. And now he's even more powerful. How are we supposed to stop him?" Donnie pointed out, then asked.

"I know! I'll hit him really hard!" Raph answered, punching his hand.

"Brute force is not the answer. You will need to rely on your ninja training." Splinter informed us.

"Excuse me, Sensei, but ninjas never had to go up against guys in armor." Mikey objected.

Splinter gave Mikey a look. I face-palmed, "Mikey, look at the walls."

He looked behind Master Splinter and saw paintings of a group of ninjas fighting a large samurai warrior. I remember those painting very well.

"I mean ninjas always had to go up against guys in armor." Mikey corrected his mistake.

"Nice save." Raph said to Mikey.

"Sensei, what was their secret?" Leo asked Splinter.

"They understood that you do not fight the armor. You fight the man inside." Splinter answered, showing us that last painting that showed the ninjas winning the battle and the spirit, man, that was within the armor fleeing.

The boys looked at each other, understanding how to defeat Stockman. Mikey looked in confusion.

"Why are we all looking at each other?" He asked, as his brothers and I just sighed.

After recovering, the boys and I got our ninja gear ready and made our way to the toll gates. However, Leo stopped me, by placing his hand over my shoulder, when I got to the stairs. I could tell by the aura I felt off him.

"Sorry, Elle. You can't come with us this time." He told me.

"Why not? I know Stockmanpod more than you guys do. And you guys need me out there." I asked, then tried to point out.

"Yeah, but that's not why you're not coming." Raph answered.

"Without your glasses, your eyesight is pretty bad. You could get yourself-" Donnie explained, but I put my hand up to quiet him.

"I understand, Donnie. Thank you. At least let me give you a small word of advice." I said, then suggested.

The boys nodded. I walked over to Leo and whispered a word into his ear. He looked at me a little bit confused, then his confusion cleared, and he smiled. He and his brothers dashed out of the Lair and made their way to the city to fight Stockman.

"What did you tell them, Eleanor?" I heard Splinter ask from behind me.

I smiled, "Just something to help them with their battle."

Splinter nodded in understanding. Then a thought came to him, "Why did you wear glasses before?"

"Well, I was born with myopia." I told him. He looked at me in slight confusion. "Near sight, Sensei." I simplified for him before continuing, "So, I have to wear glasses to help me see. If I don't wear them, I can't see a thing. Everything around me is so blurred and dark that I can't tell from friend or foe."

"I see. Eleanor, I think that for today's training, I will teach you how to use your skills without any visual aid." Splinter said, then proposed.

I felt a four-fingered hand gently grab my arm and lead me to the dojo. I was able to recognize the directions, because of my memory. As I said before, I have incredible memory.

"Now, as you know, a ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. However, even a ninja can have trouble when exposed to the light. That is when we use our other senses to lead the way." Master Splinter told me, as I felt something being tied around my head.

I touched my face to find that Master Splinter blindfolded me. Now, all I can see is pitch black.

"Now, listen closely to the silence around you, and try to read my movements." He instructed.

I took a deep breathe and listened closely. I could hear everything around me. The tree's leaves rustling, the rats from the water system, and Master Splinter's footsteps. Suddenly, I heard a change in pacing of the silence. I got into a defencive fighting stance and blocked a punch. I countered and threw an attack myself. Splinter blocked and aimed to punch me again. I grabbed his fist this time. The moment his fist touched my hand, I saw something is the darkness of the blindfold.

It was the japanese garden house from my dreams. The family was inside, having fun. There were smiles and laughter. Until, in a flash of light, everything was engulfed into flames. The man, holding his wife in his arms, screamed in anguish and anger. His voice... It sounded like...

I gasped, "**Hamato ****先生、ごめんなさい **(Hamato Sensei, gomen'nasai/Teacher Hamato, I'm sorry)..."

"How did you..." Splinter was about to ask, untill laughter interupted him.

I removed the blindfold and saw the Turtles enter the dojo.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"The plan went amazingly. Your advice was just what we needed." Leo answered with a smile.

"Well done, tell us what happened." Splinter smiled.

The boys told us about how they defeated Stockman with distraction and bees. Brilliant strategy to take down a mighty opponent. Yet, very unfortunate for the T-Pod. But, it's better to be broken than to be used again.

"You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockmanpod. I am proud of you all." Splinter said with a smile.

"Does this mean we're not grounded anymore?" Leo asked.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, the smiled, "Yes." The boys smiled in relief. Then, Splinter's smile turned into a smirk, as he got his bokken, "But first; Randori!"

The boys ran from Master Splinter and I chuckled.

Man, I love this family.


	6. Metalhead

Metalhead.

**A/N: I know that most fanfic writers would mutate their characters by now, or two chapters before, but I feel it's being a bit rushed. So, I'm waiting for the right moment to mutate Ellie.**

**Eleanor's POV.**

Hello, viewers. Sorry, you've caught the Turtles and myself at a bad time. April gave us intel on a Kraang sighting inside an abandoned warehouse. No, not the same one that was involved with Spider Bytes. Another one that's close to Brooklyn. We were able to stop their plans, but now, we're locked in combat with the Kraang. The Kraang were firing their guns at us, and we were trying our best to avoid the lasers and take them down.

"Keep moving. Don't let them surround you. Failure is not an option." Leo instructed, as he dodged the lasers aimed at him.

"Technically, failure is always an option." Donnie said, matter-of-fact.

"You know what else is an option? Slapping you!" Raph told Donnie.

Some of the Kraang began firing their guns at Donnie and Raph. They seperated and ran for cover.

"Mikey! On the right!" Donnie told Mikey, who was still running.

"Your right or my right?" Mikey asked, until he looked at his right and saw two Kraangdroids firing ther weapons at him.

Mikey yelped and ran for cover. Donnie took advantange of the distraction and hit the blue Kraangdroid with his staff. But, his staff had no effect on the alien-controlled robot.

"Are you kidding me? I hate this thing!" Donnie shouted in frustration, looking at his staff.

The Kraangdroid looked at Donnie and aimed its gun at him. Until a sai flew into its head, which made freeze up. Raph tackled it to the ground and used his sais to remove its head.

Raph looked at Donnie, "Nice work. When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."

Donnie looked at his staff and then ran for cover, as more Kraang began firing their weapons. Leo, Raph and I were taking down the Kraang with no problem. Leo had his katanas, Raph had his sais, and I used kunai knives and activated the taser-ends of my eskrima sticks.

"Kraang, the present is being a positive time to be the testing of the energy cannon." One of the Kraang suggested.

Two Kraangdroids opened the large garage doors and a large, futuristic cannon was being driven out into the battle. The boys and I continued to defeat the Kraang, until we noticed the cannon.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" Leo told us. We obeyed, until the cannon began charging, then Leo changed his mind, "On second thought, run!"

The cannon fired hot pink energy at us, and we tried our best to dodge every blast. Donnie ducked, but his staff wasn't so lucky.

"Oh, come on!" Donnie shouted in irratation.

"Dude, your weapon just exploded!" Mikey joked.

Donnie dodged an energy blast from the cannon and hid behind a group of creates. "How am I supposed to fight advanced alien technology with a stupid stick?!" He shouted in annoyance and frustration.

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I were able to defeat more Kraang, until the only ones left were the Kraang around the cannon. We backed ourselves against a wall. We had nowhere to run. We stood our ground, ready for the next move.

"Kraang, destroy those, who call themselves the Turtles and the Girl, when that, which is the signal, is the signal that is given by me!" One of the blue Kraangdroids told the Kraang that was piloting the cannon.

Leo threw a shuriken star at the fork-lift, that was beside the Kraang, and it hit the controls. The fork-lift sped toward the Kraang and the cannon, and defeated them in an explosion.

The boys and I exit the warehouse through an open window. Donnie, however, stayed behind for I-don't-know-what reason. I never ask.

"Dumb luck." Raph said with a smile.

Leo looked at Raph with a confident grin, "Wasn't luck, my friend. And dumb had nothing to do with it."

Donnie was finally out the window, but he looked like he was having trouble with something. "Hey, give me a hand with this." He told us.

"A hand with what?" Leo asked.

Donnie gave us a look, unsure how to explain.

***A little later...***

Raph and Donnie were able to get Donnie's 'souvenir' out of the window, it was the top-half of an empty Kraangdroid. Now, they were dragging the droid toward the manhole, that lead to the Lair.

"We're carrying this thing because why?" Raph wondered out-loud.

"Don't you want to understand how these things work?" Donnie asked.

"I know how they work. You hit them till the brainy toy surprise pops out." Raph answered.

Mikey removed the manhole covering.

"That's your problem, Raph. You never think things through." Donnie replied, picking up the droid and dropped it into the hole. However, it didn't go through.

"Was that supposed to fit?" Raph asked.

Donnie looked at the droid and gave it a few kicks and stomps. The droid didn't move.

"Why doesn't Ellie use those 'nature' abilities to widen the hole, or something?" Mikey suggested. Wait, what? Did Mikey say nature abilities?

I looked at him in confusion and shock, "**¿Qué?** (What?)" I looked at the others, Donnie was looking at the sky, whistling. Raph was avoiding eye contact. And Leo was scratching the back of his head with a nervous laugh. They knew about this too?

"What abilities?" I asked.

Leo stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

***Again, a little later..***

The Turtles and I were able to get the droid into the Lair. April was waiting for us in the living area. Oh, I forgot to say, Donnie invited April to stay in the Lair until we could find Kirby. Seems better than just waiting in an apartment to get kidnapped again.

Donnie began taking the droid apart and analyzing each piece, "This technology is light-years ahead of anything I've ever seen!" He removed a piece that looked somewhat of a hair-clip and showed it to April, "Do you know what this is?"

April kept her eyes on her laptop, "No." She answered.

"Neither do I! But I can't wait to find out!" Donnie replied with a grin.

Master Splinter walked in, carrying a new bo-staff for Donnie.

"Look, Spike. Donnie got another stick to break." Raph said to his pet turtle.

"With all due respect, Sensei, I can't keep fighting alien technology with a 6-foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon." Donnie suggested to Master Splinter.

Splinter smiled in thought, "A 7-foot staff. Interesting."

"No, I meant using modern technology." Donnie replied.

"Aah, a solar-powered staff." Splinter lightly joked.

"I'm serious, Sensei." Donnie growled lightly.

"I know. And yes, you may upgrade your weapon." Splinter answered.

"That's totally unfair! You can't just-" Donnie began to rant, until he realized what his teacher just said, "Wait, did you say yes?"

"Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries. We are masters of adaptation." Splinter answered.

"That is great! 'Cause with this technology, I will be invincible!" Donnie smiled with excitement, then started wondering, "What should I make? Electric sais? Multi-shot shuriken? Plasma swords!"

An idea hit me with Donnie's weapon ideas, "What about a high-tech staff?" (**A/N: Donnie's weapon in the Fast Foward season.**)

Donnie looked at me with a grin, "That's a great idea, Ellie!" Then he shuddered with excitement, "I just gave myself goosebumps." He showed his muscles to April, "You wanna feel? Eh?"

April looked at him, then back to her computer, "Pass."

"But remember, technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon. Combat is not a video game." Splinter reminded Donnie, as Donnie began to drag the droid into his lab.

"That's it! I'll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, Sensei." Donnie said with a smile. He entered his lab and closed the door behind him.

***A little later...***

Donnie was in his lab for quite a while. April was still on her laptop. Raph and Leo were playing the hockey arcade game. Mikey was sleeping on the tire swing. And I was sitting next to Leo, watching the game. As I watched, I was deep in thought about the 'nature abilities' Mikey spoke about. How long have the boys known about this?

"Hey guys! Check out this post I got." April called, breaking my train of thought.

"Hang on, April, I just have to destroy Lame-onardo." Raph answered, as he continued the game.

Leo and Raph were neck-in-neck. Until Raph pulled a move and defeated Leo by one point. Raph did his victory dance and pushed Leo aside.

"Cheap shot, Raph." I said, as Leo recovered from the hit and Raph made his way to April.

"So what's up?" Raph asked, as he sat beside April.

Leo sat opposite of Raph, slapping the back of his head. I sat behind April.

"I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York. People send in pics, videos. I also get some stuff that may help us track the Kraang and find my Dad. Like this video of a gas explosion." April answered, showing us a post that was given to her. It was a video of a gas explosion. She zoomed and the smoke revealed a Kraangdroid.

"A Kraangdroid." Leo identified.

The tone of his voice awoke and alerted Mikey. "Where?" Mikey asked, as he jumped off the swing and fell into the water under him.

"We'll check it out tonight." Leo told us.

"Why not now?" April asked.

"Because it's daytime. We can't let anyone see us." Leo explained to April.

"Well, I can." April shot back. She closed her laptop and made her way to the toll gates, until Leo stopped in front of her.

"April, think about this. It could be dangerous." Leo reasoned with April.

"You know what else could be dangerous? Standing between me and my father." April told Leo, with folded arms and a strong stare.

Leo waved his hands in defense and stepped aside, "Okay." April left the lair and made her way to the location of the gas explosion. Leo looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Elle, is April always this stubborn?"

I lightly chuckled and shook my head, "Like you wouldn't believe. She takes too much after her father." Then something came to me, "Leo, since now is 'later', Can you please tell me what Mikey meant about 'nature abilities'?"

Leo looked at me and had the look uncertainty in his eyes. He wanted to tell me, but something at the back of his mind is telling him not to. He sighed and looked at me in the eyes. Sincerity was clear as day.

"When we were fighting Snakeweed, you got knocked out. When things started to go bad, you... erm... made nature do your bidding. You blew the Kraang and Snakeweed toward the power generator, by using wind, and bound Snakeweed with ivy vines. I told Master Splinter about it, and he said to keep it secret, until it might happen again." Leo told me.

I was slight shock, I was capable of manipulating nature itself? Why don't I remember any of the action, was I really that much out-cold? So many questions to ask. I felt like my head was gonna explode. But, at least Leo told me the truth.

"You okay, Ellie?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for telling me the truth, Leo." I told him with a smile. Leo smiled back at me.

Then, Space Heroes started. Leo and I sat in front of the television. On today's episode, Captain Ryan, Mr. Crenshaw and the specialist, a green alien that was somewhat of a Martian (**A/N: He looked like a hybrid of Martian Manhunter and Spock**), were on a deserted planet.

"What do you make of this, Dr. Mindstrong?" Captain Ryan asked the specialist, Dr. Mindstrong.

Dr. Mindstrong got out a detection radar and it was beeping wildly.

"This is very disturbing, Captain, sensors indicate-" Dr. Mindstrong began to inform until a small, pink, butterfly-like alien latched itself onto his head. Dr. Mindstrong's eyes went wide as he continued, in a deapan tone, "Everything is fine."

Captain Ryan noticed the creature and gasped, "Great galaxies!"

"Captain, what's happening?" Mr. Crenshaw asked.

"Dr. Mindstrong's been taken over by the Cortexicons." Captain Ryan alerted his second-in-command.

Leo and I gasped at this information.

"What'll we do? What'll we do?" Mr. Crenshaw asked, on the verge of a panic.

Captain Ryan slapped Mr. Crenshaw across the face, and answered in a calm tone, "There's only one thing we can do. Dr. Mindstrong must be destroyed."

Then the duo went into battle with the mind-controlled specialist. It was an epic battle.

"Wow." I gasped in awe and admiration.

"What a hero." Leo said in the same tone.

Suddenly, loud, metallic footsteps interupted the silence. It was coming from Donnie's lab. From the doors, emerged a child-sized robotic turtle. It had an amber mask, and amber chest-plating, elbows and knees. It was a cute little thing. I had to clean my glasses to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

The robot's mouth opened to reveal a megaphone, "Take me to your leader!" It said in Donnie's voice.

"Leo, it's for you." Mikey said in a deadpan tone.

Leo walked over and got a good look at the drone, "What is this thing?"

Donnie walked out of the lab, with a smile and a controller in his hands, "Lady, gentlemen and Raphael" He started, as Raph gave him a look, "This is the future of ninjutsu."

The robot relaxed. I folded my arms at it in skeptism. I'll admit, the design is not half-bad and the workings are very impressive, but is it really capable of ninjutsu combat?

"I always thought the future of ninjutsu would be taller." Raph commented.

"Aw, he's so cute." Mikey said in a baby tone. He started tickling the robot under the chin, "Coochie-coochie-coo!"

As a response, the robot revealed its arsenal of weapons. The shock threw Mikey onto his back.

Donnie chuckled and pressed a button on to top of the drone's head, which calmed it, "He doesn't like being tickled."

Mikey began staring at the drone, then started making funny faces at it. The drone actually made me worry about Donnie. He came up with all these brilliant weapon ideas, and he creates a robot to fight for him.

"Isn't it cool? I reverse-engineered it from the Kraangdroid." Donnie explained how he created the drone.

"Okay, why?" Leo asked, a little skeptical of the robot turtle. Can't say I blame him.

"So the drone can handle the dangerous stuff while we stay out of harm's way." Donnie answered.

"Oh, I get it. This is for wimps too afraid to fight." Raph summarized.

"No. It's for wimps too smart to fight. I mean-" Donnie tried to explain, but Mikey decided to speak up.

"Ooh! Let's call him 'Metalhead'. Why, you ask? Because it's got a head and it's made of-" Mikey suggested, then began explaining how he came up with the drone's new name.

Leo and I face-palmed, "We get it."

"I don't need a toaster to fight my battles for me." Raph said, folding his arms.

"I understand wanting a weapon that's better than a **六尺棒**(rokushakubō/six scale stick), but this is ridiculous, Donnie." I stated with my opinion.

"I agree with Elle. It takes the whole point out of being a ninja." Leo said, backing up my statement.

"It's exactly the point of being a ninja. We adapt." Donnie pointed out, then encouraged, "Now watch this; Attack the drone. Give it all you've got."

"You sure? I don't want to break your toy." Leo asked, then said, but Raph pushed him aside.

"I do!" Raph said, as he walked in front of the drone.

Donnie got his controller ready and Metalhead tensed. Raph got his sais out and dashed toward the drone. He jumped into the air and performed his diving attack. However, Metalhead caught Raph's attack. Then Metalhead swung Raph back and forth against the ground, then threw him into the wall behind it. Donnie chuckled, then heard yelling from above him. Mikey and Leo appeared from above and attacked Metalhead with their weapons. No matter how hard they hit, Leo's katanas and Mikey's nunchucks never made a dent.

Metalhead grabbed the weapons and slammed the brothers into each other. Metalhead also stepped on Leo's toes and punched him into Raph. Mikey tried a sneak attack, but Metalhead caught him. With one punch, Metalhead punched Mikey into his brothers. While Donnie and Metalhead were distracted, I got tanto and began jabbing it at possible chi points of the robot. As soon as I hit the exposed stomach area, Metalhead lightly sparked and shocked me into paralysis. Metalhead grabbed me and threw me into the pile of Turtle Brothers.

"I kicked your shells! And I didn't even have to use the laser cannon! Face it, guys, with this thing I'm invincible!" Donnie gloated with a big smile on his face.

Raph walked up to him and put his sai upon the controller, "Oh, yeah?" Raph used his said to flip the controller out of Donnie's hands.

"You know what I mean." Donnie said, as he walked off the get the controller back. As soon as he touched the controller, a rat's foot stopped him from picking it up. Donnie looked up and saw Master Splinter in front of him, "Sensei, I was wondering if I could take Metalhead for a spin tonight." He asked his teacher.

"You may." Splinter answered.

But, like last time, Donnie jumped ahead again, "That's totally unfair! You can't just-" Then he stopped, as soon as he collected what Splinter said, "Wait, what?"

"You have created this new weapon. We must see how well it works." Splinter replied, patting Metalhead's head.

"Well, that's great. Thank you, Sensei." Donnie said with a smile.

"But it is a test only. Do not take it into combat." Splinter told Donnie.

"No problem, Sensei." Donnie said with a bow.

Master Splinter made his way to the dojo. Probably to meditate or something like that.

Raph looked at Donnie, "You're taking it into combat, aren't you?"

"Totally!" Donnie answered with a smile and an excited chuckle.

***Later that night.***

The boys and I, with Donnie being replaced by Metalhead, began our mission of finding the Kraang that was in April's post. It was quite difficult trying to keep a low profile with Metalhead. Though his combat skills are impressive, but his size and mobility make him loud, heavy and very clumsy.

We stopped on top of an abandoned apartment building, to wait for Metalhead. Leo arrived the usual way. Mikey arrived by zip-line with his nunchuck. Raph climbed his way up. I arrived by jumping down the billboard. And Metalhead was right behind us. He arrived, making a large impact on the ground, and ran toward us. Leo rubbed his temples and I pinched my nose and shook my head (**A/N: Ellie pinches her nose whenever she's really annoyed**). Metalhead realeased steam from his 'ears' to cool down.

"Should we double back? I think there's a car alarm he didn't set off." Leo asked, then thought back a bit.

"I kinda like it. It goes nicely with all the sirens and cries for help." Raph smiled, patting Metalhead's head.

"Oh, come on. You guys are just jealous 'cause you're out there in the cold and I'm here eating Mikey's last slice of pizza." Donnie's voice spoke from Metalhead's closed mouth, via headset.

"Hey!" Mikey shot, then tried to punch Metalhead, only for it to bounce back at him.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. "At least we're getting fresh air, Donnie." I pointed out.

"Oooh, burn by a girl." Mikey said with a smile.

"Hello?" A familiar voice spoke from below us. It sounded like April's voice.

"Hey, guys, quiet. Somebody's coming." Leo told us.

Following Leo's actions, the boys and I knelt down. Metalhead went on all-fours. However, he made a bit of noise. He was better off just standing behind a nearby box. Leo looked at Raph and I and rolled his eyes. I pushed my glasses up in slight annoyance.

"Guys, it's me." The voice spoke again.

Leo, Mikey, Raph and I peeked over the edge and saw April walking down the alley below us.

"April!" Leo smiled. The boys and I made our way down to meet her.

"Guys! I was just looking for you." April said, relieved to see us. However, the sound of a falling person filled the air.

Hairs on my back stood up, as one thought came to me, "Uh-oh." I pushed April away from the dumpster, as Metalhead fell into the aforementioned.

The dumpster fell down and Metalhead struggled to get out. Leo face-palmed and I pinched the bridge of my nose. Metalhead finally got out of the dumpster and stood in front of April.

"Still, it's stealthier than the real Donatello." Raph commented.

"What the heck is that?" April asked, not sure how to react.

"It's Donnie's latest "brilliant" creation; Metalhead." Leo answered.

"Catchy name, huh? My idea." Mikey asked, then told April with a smile.

Metalhead opened its mouth and Donnie's voice spoke out the megaphone, "Oh, sorry, April. I'm still getting used to the controls." The volume of the megaphone and the feedback was so loud, everyone covered their ears. "Whoops." Donnie said, then Metalhead closed his mouth, "Megaphone button got stuck."

"Guys, we gotta do something. The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with mutagen!" April informed us, returning to the matter at hand.

"The whole city will become a disaster area!" Leo exclaimed.

"There'll be mutants everywhere!" Donnie added.

"Wow. Think of all the friends we can make." Mikey smiled, hugging Metalhead. The rest of us stared at him,as if saying 'seriously?' Mikey let go of Metalhead, "Excuse me for being a "glass-half-full" kinda guy."

I shook my lightly,"Mikey, New York people are not very fond of change. Mutagen in the water supply will make it worse and everyone will be at each other's necks." I explained. Mikey gave me a confused look. "Trust me. Spider Bytez and Snakeweed are New York people, and they attacked us, just for accidently mutating them." I reminded.

"Ellie has a good point." Raph nodded.

"Thanks, Raph." I smiled.

"Let's go!" Leo told us, as he dashed down the alley.

"Yeah! The Kraang don't stand a chance!" Donnie cheered, as Metalhead followed, but Leo stopped him. "What?" He asked.

"Donnie, I need you to hang back. Metalhead is just too clumsy. It'll get in our way." Leo told Donnie.

"Clumsy?" Donnie exclaimed, as Metalhead threw its arms out and knocked over some trash cans. "I did that on purpose to emphasize my point." Donnie covered.

"You're not coming, Donnie." Leo said.

I looked at Metalhead and April, then a thought came to me, "If you want Metalhead to be useful, please keep an eye on April for us."

With that said, the other boys and I made our way to the warehouse, via rooftop. We entered the warehouse and hid ourselves upon the ceiling. April's report was correct. The Kraang were carring canisters of Mutagen into the water supply of the city.

"Looks like a Kraang picnic down there." Leo summarized.

"Ready to bash some bots?" Raph asked with a smile.

"Destroy some droids?" Leo included, punching his hand.

"Crash some Kraang?" I added, unsheathing my eskrima sticks.

"Clean some closets?" Mikey included, but the other boys and I gave him a 'what' look. "Uh, I meant to say crush some Kraang?" He corrected with a smile.

Leo, Raph and I jumped down and quickly took down a few Kraangdroids. Blue armored Kraagndroids aimed their weapons at us.

Until, Mickey jumped down, "Booyakasha!" He landed on both the droids and beated them till they were offline.

Raph picked Mickey up and pushed him away from the busted Kraangdroids. The boys and I quietly made our way to the true scene of the crime, and hid behind some iron barrels. However, our cover was blown when a survived Kraangdroid revealed our location before going offline.

The boys and I gulped and looked at the other Kraangdroids. They aimed their weapons at us and fired their pink lasers. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I dashed for cover. We got our weapons ready and we dashed our way through the barrage and destroyed a few of the Kraang. However, more came and they fired their weapons too. Heck, in mid-battle, the Kraang got their energy cannon ready and fired it at us. Luckily, everyone jumped out of the way.

"They're everywhere! Run!" Mikey screamed at the top of his lungs.

I had enough of the energy cannon. I threw a flash grenade into the tunnel part of the cannon and dragged the boys behind the creates. After a loud explosion, the energy cannon was disabled and the Kraangdroids around it were offline. However, more Kraang arrived in a matter of seconds and fired their weapons at us.

"Leo, we're running out of-" Raph began, as we hid behind the last batch of creates we could find, "Room."

Leo and Raph hid behind one side, while Mikey and I hid behind the other.

"We're trapped!" Leo sighed.

"Or maybe, they're the ones who are trapped! Hmm?" Mikey suggested, trying to turn the tables around. He looked and nearly got hit by a pink laser, "No, it's us."

"Elle, now would be a good time to go all 'Mother Nature'!" Raph told me in a demanding tone. I gave him a 'don't you think I'm not trying?' look and he just stayed quiet.

Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass ceased the laser barrage and Metalhead landed on two of the Kraangdroids, from the glass roof. Metalhead looked at us, but his arms were in a position of a Egyptian dancer.

"What are you doing? What is wrong with your arms?" Leo asked, in an annoyed tone.

"My hands aren't on my hips?" Donnie asked.

"No!" I shouted, as Raph face-palmed.

"Sorry. Forgot to press B." Donnie chuckled, then Metalhead put his hands on his hips, like a superhero.

The Kraangdroids surrounded Metalhead and fired their weapons at him. Mikey, Leo, Raph and I watched with anticipation. Even the lasers didn't effect the little turtle drone. The Kraang ceased fire and looked at their weapons and each other.

"Now it's my turn!" Donnie shouted.

Metalhead's left hand morphed into that of a flamethrower nuzzle and aimed at the Kraangdroids, "Eat hot laser!"

Instead of fire, blue lasers flew and hit the Kraangdroids. Donnie laughed as he aimed his laser cannon at the other Kraangdroids and continued to fire, "You want some of this? Whoo! Yeah, baby!"

Metalhead aimed his right fist at the other Kraangdroids, and it flew into their heads, knocked the robots offline. The fist returned to its owner. "Hey, Raph, how does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?" Donnie asked, with a smile in his voice.

Raph gave Metalhead a look, as Leo, Mikey and I gave him a smile. Raph got burned by a machine.

However, Mikey's smile quickly faded, as he noticed something, "Burn!"

The other boys looked and saw two Kraangdroids approaching Metalhead from behind.

"Yeah, I thought that was a good one." Donnie smiled.

"No! Burn!" Mikey shouted, pointing behind Metalhead.

"Oh. Right." Donnie said, snapping back into action. His left hand spouted another flamethrower nuzzel and turned to shoot... flames at the Kraangdroids. I slightly froze at the sight of the flames.

Donnie continued to use the laser cannon to take down the rest of the Kraangdroids, but he was getting overconfident, that he aimed at us and almost hit Mikey's head. "Dude!" Mikey shouted.

"Oops! Sorry, Mikey!" Donnie apologised, trying to watch his aim.

"Donnie, watch the friendly fire." Leo told his younger brother.

But, Donnie wasn't listening. "Here's some for you! And some for you! And, oh, yeah, I saved a little for you too! How'd that taste?" He laughed, as he took down the last Kraangdroid and continued his fire. And he was aiming at a batch of propane tanks.

"Donnie! Watch out for the..." I tried to warn, but the tanks exploded and the shockwave blew us all away.

I hit my head against a pillar and... it wasn't as painful as it should've. Must be Splinter-sama's training.

As we recovered from the explosion of the tanks, Donnie's voice spoke up, "Guys, if you can hear me, you might wanna run." He said.

We looked and saw that Metalhead had a Kraang on top of his head and his eyes were glowing pink.

Metalhead opened his mouth and a Kraang voice was speaking from the megaphone, in perfect volume and pitch, "The ones, that which are called Turtles and the Girl, will now be called, Turtles and Girl, that are destroyed!" Metalhead said the last word in a deep and dark tone. Uh-oh.

Mikey sighed in relief, "Whew! I was really afraid at the beginning of the sentence, but then I sort of just lost interest towards-" Suddenly, Metalhead aimed his laser cannon at Mikey. "Ok. I'm afraid again." Mikey screamed and we ran for cover, or tried our best to keep our distance from the robot.

Once we saw an opening, we dashed for it. Mikey threw one of his nunchucks at Metalhead's laser cannon and it caught the cannon off-aim. The boys and I surrounded the droid.

"Give him everything you've got." Leo told us. So, Raph, Mikey, Leo and I attacked the drone with our weapons, but they weren't leaving a dent at all.

"He's gotta have a weak spot." Leo said.

"This always works!" Mikey said with a smile, then his kicked the drone in-between the legs, "Hiyah!" However, like last time, the attack bounced back at him, "Ow! Well, usually."

Metalhead took this opportunity and attacked the boys, by punching them, hard in the face. The force threw them toward a wall.

"Guys!" I shouted in worry. Then anger burned in my heart. I looked at the alien-controlled drone, "That's it! Eat this, Metal-Freak!" I charged at him and jabbed my tang twin swords into the exposed stomach of the droid.

Just like before, the drone sparked, but this time, the spark was bigger and Metalhead jumped a bit. I think I hurt the Kraang as well. But, it was short-lived. Metalhead looked at me and punched me into the wall with the Turtles.

"Ellie!" I heard Leo call in worry.

I rubbed my head and lightly smiled, "I'm okay."

Unfortunately, Metalhead and Kraangdroids had us surrounded. We had no time to recover from the attack. We got back up and readied ourselves for the next attack.

"Now Kraang will destroy you. Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?" Metalhead said, then asked.

"Me!" A familliar voice spoke from above us. The boys, The Kraang and I looked up and saw Donnie jumped down from his previous entrance. And he was holding his old bo-staff.

"Donnie! Bangin' entrance, dude!" Mikey said with a smile.

"You guys deal with the droids. Ellie and I will handle Metalhead." Donnie told us.

"No problem, Donnie." I answered, as I got my eskrima sticks and activated the taser-ends. The boys dashed and took care of the Kraangdroids.

"It is the maker of the tech, which was the tech, that was of the Kraang." Metalhead said as he recognized Donnie.

"Come on, gimme your best-" Donnie dared, as he and I readiedour weapons, however he was cut short from Metalhead launching his fist at him.

I ducked, and Donnie ran. I noticed that Metalhead was aiming for Donnie.

"Donnie, heads up!" I shouted.

Donnie turned and whacked the fist off-course, causing the fist to fly into Metalhead's face. Donnie and I began hitting Metalhead with our weapons. However, Donnie's weapon had no effect, while mine did little damage. Donnie hit Metalhead on his head again, and the drone aimed his laser cannon at us.

Donnie and I took cover, but Donnie wasn't fast enough. He tried to deflect a laser attack, but his staff snapped again.

"Not again." Donnie muttered, as he looked at his staff.

Metalhead opened his mask and released homing-signal bombs, that were his eyes.

"Whoa!" I shouted, as I grabbed Donnie's hand and quickly dragged him behind the barrel I was hiding behind.

The bomb hit the pillar, that was behind Donnie, and it damaged it to near collapse state. Donnie looked and lightly smiled, "That might work."

He turned to look at Metalhead, "Hey, Kraang!" Metalhead fired his laser cannon at Donnie. Donnie rolled over to the pillar again, "The one, who is called your mother, wears the boots, that are made for combat!"

Metalhead ceased firing and 'glared' at Donnie, "The comment, that is made by you, shows ignorance of Kraang!" He withdrew his weapon before he continued, "The ones, known by you as mothers-"

"Just come get me!" Donnie told Metalhead.

Metalhead fired multiple 'eye-bombs' at Donnie. Donnie was able to get out of the way and flipped over Metalhead, who fired his laser cannon when Donnie got too close. The pillar began to wobble and fall over towards Donnie. My blood began to run cold. The weight of the pillar will crush Donnie in-half.

"Donnie, look out!" I shouted, as I reached out my hand. A large dust cloud surrounded the impacted area.

When the smoke cleared, Donnie was unharmed, and what remained if his staff, was jabbed into Metalhead's chest. I looked above and saw that the pillar has a very faint, but strange, green glow.

Donnie smiled, "Booyakasha!"

"Sounds weird when he says it." Mikey commented.

"Sounds weird when you say it." Raph replied.

"That which is the revenge will be had on those who are call themselves the Turtles and Girl." Metalhead said, as the drone shut down and the Kraang left. Of course, the Kraang jumped on to Donnie's face, before crawling off.

I lowered my hand, and the glow vanished. The pillar rested on the creates behind Donnie. And I joined the brothers.

"Nice job, bro!" Mikey said with a smile.

"Way to go, Donnie." Leo said. Donnie got out from under the pillar and smiled.

"Yeah, not bad." Raph said with a smile, then frowned, "Except for that part where you built the thing in the first place. And the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us. And the part-"

"Ok, I get it." Donnie told Raph, then lightly sulked.

***Later, that night...***

I was back in my room, at my place. I was just putting on the finishing touches of my present for Donatello. He seemed really down when he and his brothers returned to the Lair. Once I was finished, I showed it to Nellie.

"What do you think? Will he like it?" I asked her.

Nelli licked her lips and scratching the glass. This indcated that she loved it and was jealous of Donnie. I giggled and gave her an apple slice. She took it and began munching.

I placed the finished weapon on to my back, turned off my bedroom light, opened the window, and made my way to the Lair. When I entered the sewers, the path was misted in smoke. I followed it, coughing slightly, and enter the Lair, via the toll gates. The smoke cleared, and the boys were covered in soot, dust and pieces of wood.

"What the heck happened in here?" I asked, as soon as my throat was clear from the smoke.

"Ask Donnie." Raph answered.

I looked at Donnie, who was on the ground, holding what remained of a bo-staff. I shook my head and helped the genius Turtle back to his feet.

"Thanks, Ellie. When did you get here?" Donnie thanked, then asked me.

"Just now. What happened?" I answered, then asked him.

"Uuummm." He began, scratching the back of his head.

"Let me guess, laser-guided missle-launching staff?" I guessed.

"How did you know?" Donnie asked. I didn't notice Master Splinter staring at me.

"Just a hunch." I shrugged, then my thoughts came back to me. "Oh, I have something for you, Donnie."

I reached over my back and showed him his new weapon. His eyes widen is surprise.

I smiled, "Do you like it? It's a**薙刀**(**Naginata**/Pole-Blade). It's made of bamboo and has a retractable blade. So, you can fight the Kraang without just whacking them."

Donnie took the staff, smiled and threw his arms around me. I hugged him back. I knew he liked my gift.


	7. Monkey Brains

Monkey Brains.

**Eleanor's POV.**

Ugh, what a day. School and a part-time job. I entered my room and crashed on to my bed with a sigh. Oh, didn't I tell you guys? A few days ago, I got a part-time job at a noodle shop. The owner, and cook was looking for an assistant. And my father treated me out, because of my report card. And I noticed, with my sense of smell, that the shrimp of my father's order were overcooked.

Impressed, the owner asked if I could be his assistant. I accepted, and I've been working ever since. But, I still have time to train with Master Splinter and hang out with April and the Turtles. I've been trying to make new friends, but sadly had no luck. 'Who wants to be friends with your kind of people?' they'd say.

Oh,crud! I have training with Master Splinter tonight, and I have homework due in three days! Eh, I'll do my homework tomorrow. I rose from my bed, fed Nellie, got my ninja gear ready and quickly made my way to the Lair. As soon as I entered the Lair, I saw Mikey and Donnie exit the Dojo. Mikey had a huge grin on his face, with his hands behind his head. And Donnie looked like he lost a fight.

I walked past the two brothers, and entered the Dojo. Master Splinter was standing in front of the tree, with his back facing me.

I went on one knee and bowed, "Splinter-Sensei, I've come for my training for today."

My muscles tensed as I noticed that Splinter said nothing, but charged at me. He threw a few punches, which I blocked and countered with a few kicks and performed **背負い投げ**(Seoi Nage/Shoulder Throw). When I got him on my back, Splinter-sama flipped off me back and took a step back.

Splinter-sama put his hand up, "**止め** (Yame/Stop)." I dropped my stance and relaxed. He smiled, "Very good, Eleanor. Your reflexes are impressive. Do you know what today's lesson is?"

I thought for a second, "Being able to fight without thinking?" I guessed.

Splinter-sama nodded with a smile, "Correct. Now, again. This time, counter. **始め**(Hajime/Start)."

I charged toward Splinter and threw a few punches and kicks. He grabbed me arm and performed **背負い投げ**, however I rolled off his back, grabbed his arm and performed **巴投** (Tomoe-Nage/Circle Throw or Monkey Flip). Splinter got back on to his feet and took a stance, I did the same.

Suddenly, I heard metal swinging in the air. My muscles tensed, as I caught whatever it was behind me, throw it over my shoulder, causing it to land on its back, and sat on top of it, with its own weapons to its neck.

As soon as I saw my attacker's green, blue masked face, my muscles relaxed and I lowered the weapons. I felt like my heart just dropped. My attacker was Leo. I nearly harmed him.

"**止め**! Very good, Eleanor. We will continue tomorrow." Master Splinter said with a smile, and walked into his room.

I dropped Leo's weapons, stood up and helped the grounded turtle back to his feet. "What were you thinking, Leo? I could've hurt you." I asked, then told him.

He shrugged with a smile, "I was testing your reflexes."

I smiled and giggled. That was the same thing I told him. I gave Leo his weapons back. As we left the dojo, I heard what sounded like a marker pen on a cardboard paper. It was coming from Donnie's lab. I looked and saw Raph and Mikey peeking through the door. I felt a nudge in my arm, and I looked at Leo.

"Wanna see what's going on?" He asked me with a cheeky smile.

I nodded with a cheeky smile of my own. Leo, Mikey, Raph and I quietly entered Donnie's lab and looked over Donnie's shoulders to see that he was making a flowchart of multiple plans and ideas.

"What you up to, Donnie?" Leo asked, startling Donnie.

Donnie looked and saw us around him. "Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan." He answered, as he continued drawing.

"Master plan?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, to get April to hang out with me." Donnie replied, finishing a line.

Donnie's brothers laughed at him. I just rested my head on my hand.

"Aww. That's so cute." I smiled.

"Try this, 'April, do you want to hang out with me?'" Leo suggested with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah. You see, it's not that simple. I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success." Donnie answered, as he finished his chart.

"Aw, that's so romantic!" Mikey said with a smile.

Donnie showed us his flowchart, which he pinned on the back of Leo's Space Heroes III movie poster.

Donnie cleared his throat, "Yeah. For instance, if April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks." He explained, pointing to a black-lined idea.

"Well, what if she says she can't, because you're a total nerd?" Raph asked.

"Ah, that's this thread here." Donnie answered, pointing to an orange plan, "I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."

Suddenly, April showed up without warning. She was carrying her laptop, which was open. Speak of the devil, and she doeseth appear. Heh.

"Guys!" April shouted.

April's presence alerted Donnie, as he hurried to flip his chart back to Leo's poster.

"Hey- hey, Ap- Hey, April." He stuttered, love-struck. That Turtle's crush on my best friend is so cute.

"You guys gotta check this out." April told us, as she pressed play on a news video clip.

"Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing." The news reporter said.

My eyes widen in shock, "Dr. Rockwell?"

Leo looked at me, "You know him, Ellie?"

I nodded, "Yeah. He was my science teacher when I was young." I smiled at the memories, "Neurochemistry was fun."

"Is there anyone in this city you don't know?" Raph asked me with a strange look in his eyes.

I scratched the back of my head, "I'll keep you posted on that, Raph."

"I spoke with Rockwell's colleague, Dr. Victor Falco." The reporter finished, as the camera turned to a skinny, man, in his late-40s, in a lab-coat. Another man I know, Victor Falco.

"I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab. The place was a mess and he was gone. I fear the worst." Falco said. There was something up with his voice. He sounded genuine, but there was something in his tone. I can't put my finger on it.

"Police say they have-" The reporter continued, until April closed her laptop.

"So?" Raph asked.

"So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city, including my Dad! Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy." April answered.

"Or they may not be connected at all." I said, deep in thought.

"There's only one way to find out. We should go to that lab and look around." April said.

"April's right. We should go check it out." Donnie agreed, then faked hearing something, "What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, April."

I broke out of my train of thought and noticed Donnie walking off with April.

"Oh no, you don't. I'm coming with you guys." I told them.

"Why?" April asked, confused with my actions.

"I know Rockwell. And I need to know what happened to him." I answered.

Donnie smiled, "That's great, Ellie. We could use your kind of skills."

Donnie and I got our ninja gear and traveled with April, to Rockwell's lab, which was in an apartment building. Slightly on the way, Donnie tried to start a conversation with April, but she was too focused on the task at hand. That girl needs to loosen up a bit. She's way too much like her father.

"Ellie?" Donnie called, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Don?" I answered, looking at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you plan out your strategies of combat?" He asked. So, that's why he was upset. He was thinking during his spar with Mikey.

"I don't. Thinking too much will make you lose sight of what's coming. I live fully in the moment, when I fight." I answered, matter-of-fact.

Donnie sighed, "You sound just like Master Splinter."

I smiled, "He's a good teacher. Sometimes, you need to listen to him."

By the silence, Donnie knew I was right. We arrived at the apartment building and made our entry through the roof. We quietly made our to the lab door and it was locked with an electronic lock. Donnie got a small device, with a computer chip inside, from his belt. He placed it on the lock and the red light turned green. The door opened.

"There isn't an electronic lock out there my digital lock pick can't crack." Donnie said with smile.

"Smooth!" April said with a smile. Donnie chuckled.

Donnie, April and I entered the lab and began looking around. It was really dark, so we couldn't find the light switch. Instead, April turned on her flashlight. The place looked like it was turned upside-down by something larger than a full-grown man.

"Wow, this place is a wreck." Donnie gasped.

April shone her flashlight at a torn open cage. She shuddered, "Ugh, he must have been experimenting on animals."

I looked at the cage. It looked like it was big enough to hold in a person, or a monkey. That doesn't add-up. Rockwell hated experimenting on animals.

April moved her flashlight to what was next to the cage, a dentist chair with metal restraint-cuffs.

"Either someone was up to some secret research, or they were renting space to one freaky dentist!" Donnie summarized.

I shuddered at the thought, as I looked at the chair, "Ugh. I've always hated medical places. Always give me the creeps."

We turned our attention to the desk, on the other side of the room. Research papers were all over the place. Donnie looked at the papers, and I checked the drawers. I opened the bottom one. It was empty, but there was a familiar, light blue glow under the bottom panel.

"Donnie, April. I think I found something." I said, as I lifted the panel.

Donnie gasped, and April obtained the contents; a canister of Mutagen. Now that does raise suspicions on what research Rockwell and Falco were up to.

"Mutagen!" Donnie identified the canister.

April looked at the canister, then behind Donnie, "Donnie, look out!" She shouted.

A shadowed figure of a man, with a golf club, swung his weapon toward Donnie. Donnie easily blocked with his staff and threw the man to the ground. April finally found the light switch and the lights turned on. It was Falco that attacked Donnie, well... tried to.

"Dr. Falco!" April exclaimed with surprise.

Falco yelled when he got a good look at Donnie. "What are you?!" He asked.

"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you." Donnie said in a calm tone.

"You already hurt me!" Falco told Donnie.

Donnie stood up, "I mean any more."

"We're here to help." April told Falco, as Donnie offered him his hand.

Falco took Donnie's hand and Donnie helped him back on his feet. Falco dusted himself off and saw me.

"Eleanor. It's good to see you again, my dear." He greeted with a smile.

I kept my distance from him and said nothing. Ever since I first met this man, I always had a cold shiver running down my spine. Rockwell told him I was shy, which was slightly the case, but the shiver was the most logical reason.

"Do you know anything about the location of my father, Dr. Falco?" April asked.

Falco sat on his desk, "I'm sorry. I wish I knew something about your father, but I don't." He answered.

"So what can you tell us about this?" Donnie asked, holding the canister of Mutagen.

"Some shady corporate goon paid Rockwell a lot of money to experiment with it." Falco answered.

"This the guy?" April asked, showing a photo of a disguised Kraangdroid on her phone.

"That's him." Falco answered with a nodd.

"The Kraang!" Donnie gasped.

"Well, I wanted no part of that stuff. Who knows what kind of monstrosities could result." Falco explained, then looked at Donnie, "No offense."

"Some taken." Donnie replied.

I narrowed my eyes at Falco, there was that tone again. How can no-one else hear it? Must be just me and my hearing.

"Is that what was in that cage over there? One of his monstrosities?" April asked, pointing to the cage. I looked at the cage.

"Can we ease up on the 'M' word, please?" Donnie asked.

"That's where he kept the monkey, he was experimenting on." Falco answered.

"Whoa. It sure didn't like being locked up in there." Donnie commented.

"Rockwell didn't treat it very well." Falco explained.

"Maybe the Kraang didn't take Rockwell. Maybe the monkey went berserk, busted out of the cage, and dragged him off. Or worse." April said, thinking about possibilities.

I stared at the cage, then looked at my hand. A few days ago, I realized that my dreams of a person's past can also happen when I touch something, or somebody. It worked when I was sparring with Master Splinter, so it must work with other things too. My reached out my hand, to touch the cage, until Falco's voice stopped me.

"I hope you're able to find Rockwell soon. Who can tell what's happening to him now." He said.

"Thanks for your help, Dr. Falco. We'll find you, if you need anything." April said, then made her way to the door, with Donnie following her.

I sighed and followed my friends and exit the apartment building. We made our way back to the Lair, through an alley way, that was a few blocks behind the apartment building.

"So how do you suppose we're gonna find Rockwell without any leads?" April asked.

"Well, maybe we'll know more once we have a look at his flash drive." Donnie answered. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. And not by Shredder's men.

"What flash drive?" April asked.

"The one I swiped off his desk." Donnie answered, with a smile, showing the flash drive.

"Nice!" April smiled.

"Awesome." I smiled.

"Yeah. Well, keeping cool under pressure is the hallmark of a-" Donnie was about to boast, until we encountered a Mutant. A monkey Mutant with dark brown fur, slightly tanned skin, and amber-brown eyes.

The monkey had cuffs on its wrists, belt-line and ankles, and wore a pair of indigo pants. It roared it us. Donnie got his weapon ready for a fight.

"Careful, Donnie! That's a dangerous Mutant!" April warned Donnie.

"That makes two of us!" Donnie told her.

"April, stay behind me." I told April, moving her behind me.

Donnie prepared for an attack, but the monkey was fast and kicked Donnie away. The force caused Donnie to drop his staff. The monkey picked up the staff and sniffed it. It threw the staff away. Donnie stood up, rubbing his head slightly.

"Donnie, are you okay?" April asked, worried for her Turtle friend.

"I'm good." Donnie replied, with a weak smile, then returned to his fight with the monkey.

Donnie tried his best to land a hit on the monkey, but the monkey kept dodging and keeping its distance. It was like the monkey was either empathic, or telepathic. The monkey had the upper-hand and beat Donnie to the ground.

"Donnie?" April shouted.

"I was just figuring out his timing. He is gonna regret-" Donnie tried to explain, until the monkey hit him, "Ow! That." The monkey punched him, "That, too!" It hit him again, "And that!" And again, "Got a lot of regrets, monkey!"

The monkey grabbed Donnie's head and threw him across the alley. Donnie didn't have time to react, as the monkey jumped on to him and began hitting him over the head. Donnie tried to protect himself, "Hey, come on! Hey, ow!"

Then, the monkey threw Donnie toward us. April ran to Donnie, to see if he was okay. The monkey growled to get her attention. She turned and saw the monkey advancing toward April and I. I kept April behind me as we slowly backed away, but the monkey grabbed me by my shoulders and roared at me.

I stared, unphased by the roar. It realized how calm I was and stopped snarling at me.

April came out from behind me and placed her hand over its hand, "It's okay. Everything's going to be all right."

The monkey looked at April, then me. I gave it a gentle smile, "We're not gonna hurt you." I told it in a gentle and calm tone.

I could feel the monkey look into my eyes. It let me go and stared at me. "_**Your eyes...**_" I heard a familiar voice spoke in my head. It sounded like it was coming from the monkey.

"What? What's wrong with them?" I asked the monkey.

The monkey was about to say something, then roared, "_**Stay away!**_" Then it dashed off on to the rooftops.

Once everything calmed down, I ran into the alley to get Donnie's staff, and April ran to Donnie and lifted his head, "Donnie, are you hurt?" She asked him.

"Just my pride. And my internal organs." Donnie was able to answer, until he lightly blacked out for a few seconds.

"Come on." I said, as April and I got Donnie back on to his feet and April put his arm over her shoulders.

We made our way to the manhole and April slowly helped Donnie into the sewers. I couldn't help but look back at the rooftops. That voice that spoke to me. It was definitely coming from the monkey, but it sounded so familiar. It sounded similar to...

"It can't be..." I wondered.

"Ellie, come on." April shouted, breaking my train of though. I made my way down, and put the manhole back where it belonged.

April and I slowly, but surely, got back to the Lair. The boys saw us and saw how beaten up Donnie looked.

"Whoa, what happened?" Leo asked.

"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey." April answered.

The boys looked at each other. I moved aside, as Leo took my place, with Donnie's other arm over his shoulders.

"April, can you get an ice pack?" Leo asked. April dashed off to the kitchen.

I joined April into the kitchen and began heating the teapot.

"Ellie, what are you doing? Now's not the time for tea." April asked, then told me.

"Natural remedies, April." I answered.

"Donnie, you gonna be okay?" I heard Leo ask.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." Donnie answered.

"In that case." Leo started, then Donnie's brothers laughed at him.

"You got beaten up by a monkey? In front of your girlfriend?" Raph asked.

"She's not my girlfriend! And that monkey was a vicious Mutant!" Donnie argued.

"Yeah, I'm sure he went bananas!" Leo joked, and then the brothers burst into laughter again.

"No, no, no, no, no. He went ape!" Leo joked again, then the laughter got louder.

"Monkey!" Mikey was able to shout between his laughs.

April and I entered the lounge with an ice pack and a cup of ginger tea. April glared at the laughing brothers.

Raph noticed and gave his brothers an 'Cut it' signal, "No more monkey puns."

April looked at the brothers, then sat down. Donnie lifted his head, then rested it on April's lap, as she placed the ice pack over his head.

"Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?" April asked with a glare.

"No, we were laughing at him because he was hurt by a monkey!" Mikey answered, and burst into laughter again, followed by his brothers.

April looked at the brothers annoyed. I couldn't help but giggle myself. Siblings laugh at each other all the time. Heck, I laughed at Asami when she tripped over and got bit by her pet arctic fox, Kit. Of course, I got a hiking boot to the head. My family is odd that way.

I gave Donnie the cup, "Here, Donnie. Drink this."

Donnie took the cup and looked at the tea. He took a sip and lightly smiled in delight. I smiled as well.

"What is that?" Leo asked me.

"It's ginger tea. Perfect pain relief and anti-inflammatory." I answered.

"Who knew we had a doctor in the house." Mikey said with a smile.

After a while, Leo and Raph were in the dojo, sparring. Mikey was relaxing, listening to music. April was at home. And I was meditating with Master Splinter. Good thing it was a weekend. Donnie was fully recovered, but he was feeling a little depressed, losing a fight to a mutant monkey. His negative energy was stopping me from meditating. Can't say I blame him.

"I just don't get it. I mean, I'm a highly trained martial artist. How could I lose to something so mindless?" Donnie. wondered, looked the water.

Master Splinter and I decided to give Donnie a little pep talk.

"You are very intelligent." Splinter-sama told Donnie.

Donnie turned and looked at us.

"But in a fight, you can't always be up here." I said, pointing to my forehead.

"But I just don't understand how you can fight without thinking." Donnie told Master Splinter and myself.

Donnie, Master Splinter and I turned and saw Mikey walked toward us, with his headphones on, his eyes closed and listening to his music. A perfect demonstration.

"Observe." I said, as I walked towards Mikey. I threw a few hits at Mikey, but he dodged and blocked my attacks. I lowered my stance and smiled at Donnie, "You see, Donnie? Mikey doesn't think."

"Thank you." Mikey said to me.

"You're welcome." I answered, as Mikey walked off.

Mikey walked past Master Splinter, and Splinter tripped Mikey into the bean-bag chair with his tail.

"You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there. That's what Michelangelo does." Master Splinter told Donnie.

"True, but Mikey's got a lot more space between his thoughts than I do." Donnie pointed out.

"Oh, a pepperoni!" Mikey exclaimed, eating a pepperoni that was behind him.

"Yes, well, Michelangelo has his challenges, too." Master Splinter said with light chuckle.

After another while, April decided to hang out with the Turtles and myself, in the Lair. She was researching the documents on Falco's flash drive. Raph was reading his comic books, Leo and Mikey were sparring, Donnie was watching the T.V, and I was finishing my homework.

"Guys, I think I've found something." April said, getting all of our attention.

"These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the Mutagen." She explained, as she read the notes.

"Why would he do that?" Leo asked.

"He thought he could use it to create a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities." April answered.

"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph asked.

"It's more like he was reading our emotions. After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile." April explained.

"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beating a little sunshine into him." Donnie said, punching his hand during his last words.

I sighed a bit, "Emotions are not thoughts, Donnie." Everyone looked at me, "That's what I've heard..."

"Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search." Leo told us.

"How are we gonna stay in contact?" Raph asked.

"I have a little something that might help." Donnie said, as he stood up. "Gentlemen and ladies I give you The T-phone!" He revealed a cell phone-like device that was in the shape of a turtle shell. I smiled. Very clever, Donnie.

"Dude, I'm in charge of naming stuff. I would've called it - The T-phone." Mikey retorted at Donnie.

"I did call it the T-phone." Donnie said.

"Yeah, but I would've called it the T-phone." Mikey muttered in a pout. Only to get hit in the back of his head by Raph.

"And April, if you give me your cell number, I can patch you into our network." Donnie suggested, offering his T-Phone to April.

"Sweet!" April smiled, taking the cell and put her number into Donnie's phone.

"See that? I got her number." Donnie whispered to Raph.

"Her number's on the fridge, you dork." Raph pointed out.

"Ellie?" Leo called me.

"Of course, Leo." I answered, knowing what he was asking. After April was done, I gave the Turtles my cell number too. I didn't notice Leo's blushing smile.

***Later, in the city...***

The Turtles, April and I separated and began searching for the monkey. April kept to the ground level and the Turtles and I had the rooftops.

"Guys, someone just spotted the monkey on Bleecker." April informed us.

"I think I'm on his trail." Raph reported.

"Ellie, the monkey is headed your way." Leo informed me.

I looked and saw the monkey running down the street, "I've got eyes on him. He's headed south on Delancey!" I informed.

"I'm on Houston! I'll cut him off! Where'd he go?" Donnie reported, then asked.

"He changed direction." Leo informed, then told Mikey, "Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"

"I'm on it!" Mikey replied.

This monkey was clever. He lead the Turtles and myself into a wild goose-chase. It was confusing and slightly annoying. We all met up in a four-way crossing intersection. But, no sign of the monkey.

"Anybody see where he went?" Leo asked.

"I thought he headed off in that direction." Donnie answered.

"I thought it was that way." Raph replied.

The three started arguing, while Mikey was calling, "Here, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey!"

Something at the back of my head told me to turn around and look at the dumpster behind me. As I looked, I sensed fear and sadness.

April and I walked toward the dumpster and opened it. Only to see the monkey.

"There you are." I said with a smile.

The monkey turned and saw us. The voice spoke again, "_**It's you girls again.**_"

April smiled and reached out her hand to the monkey.

"It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you." I assured the poor Mutant.

The monkey looked at April's hand. "_**Alright...**_"

The monkey climbed out and stared at me and April. Suddenly, Mikey threw his kusarigama and it bound the monkey. "_**No! Not again. Let me go!**_" The voice said, as the monkey roared.

"Ha-ha! Gotcha that time!" Mikey smiled.

"Great, we got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell." Raph said in matter-of-fact.

"_**I said, LET ME GO!**_" The monkey roared, making April to jump and back away a little.

I went to one knee and spoke in a calm and gentle voice, "Easy, easy, shhh. It's okay."

"_**I... don't...**_" The monkey stuttered, as his bulging eyes returned to their normal state. Then, he said something to me,"_**Dear Eleanor?**_"

Then something hit me. The voice was... Only one thought came to me as tears welled up in my eyes, "What happened to you?"

"Actually, we're a lot closer than you think." April told the boys.

"What? How?" Donnie asked.

I turned to the boys, "April's right. This is Dr. Rockwell."

The Turtles, April and I were able to return the monkey, Rockwell, back to his lab, Falco seemed upset, but his aura gave me a reason to still keep my distance from him. Falco bound Rockwell to the chair, with Rockwell screaming and trying to escape, and injected a serum into his arm. Rockwell calmed down and fell asleep.

"There. That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell." Falco said.

"Is there any way to get him back to normal?" April asked.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life." Falco answered.

***Later, back at the Lair...***

The boys, except Raph, April and I were in the kitchen, waiting for Raph to bring the pizza. Mikey was playing with his T-Phone and Donnie was looking over Rockwell's notes.

"Man, this asteroid field is tough. I just can't beat it." Mikey said, as he played.

"Left, right, shoot, back, right." I said.

Mikey did what I said, and he smiled, "Thanks, Ellie." I smiled at him.

"Pizza's here!" Raph announced, as he placed the pizza box on the table and opened the box.

Leo and Raph took a slice each and started eating. Mikey sniffed the aroma of the pizza and caught himself in a silly dilemma.

He switched back and forth, "Must eat pizza. But can't stop playing. But must eat pizza. But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza!" He screamed in desperation, then made up his mind and grabbed a slice with his mouth.

"Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your Dad, April." Leo said to April.

"It's okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle." April replied.

"Yeah, but psychic research? This is one weird puzzle." Leo wondered.

"I am curious, April. Eleanor. How did you know the monkey was really a human?" Master Splinter asked, as he walked by us.

"I don't know. Sometimes I just get a feeling about things." April answered in all honesty.

"A feeling? Hm. Interesting. And you, Eleanor?" Splinter wondered, then asked me.

I wasn't sure if I could tell him. That I'm able to understand animals, Mutant and non, and see colored flamed that tell me a person's true emotions? Will he think that I'm a freak too? I had to say what I said to the boys before, "Just a hunch?"

Master Splinter gave me a look and walked off.

Raph looked at me, "You're not eating, Ellie?"

"I'm not hungry. I'm worried about Rockwell." I answered with a slight sulk.

"Hey, Donnie, how come you're not eating?" Leo asked Donnie.

"What? I'm not hungry. Something's been bothering me." Donnie answered.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey." Donnie started, recalling on Falco's words.

"And?" Leo asked.

"Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA." Donnie continued, then looked at me, "Ellie, did Rockwell ever use animals for class experiments?"

I quickly shook my head, "No. It's against his morals. He can't stand experimenting on animals."

"We're still not following you." Leo said.

"If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?" Donnie pointed out.

"It must've been Rockwell!" Raph answered.

"Which means Falco put him there and he's been lying this whole time!" Donnie summarized.

"I knew it!" I shouted in anger, dashing off to get my ninja gear and making my way to Falco's lab.

I was accompanied by the Turtles. We made our way to the apartment building and entered the lab. It was stormy, but I had no time to be afraid. Falco has already acquired the psychic abilities.

"All right, Falco! We've had enough of your-" Leo began, but Raph cut him off.

"Do not say 'monkey-ing around.'" Raph said.

"I wasn't going to." Leo retorted.

"Yes, you were." Falco replied with a smirk. His eyes were bloodshot. And his aura blazing in a dark crimson; signaling corruption.

"It's over, Falco! We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!" Donnie told Falco.

"I used him as a guinea pig." Falco admitted. Now, he's telling the truth.

"Well, it didn't work. You turned him into a monkey." Mikey replied.

"Falco, how could you do this to your own partner?" I asked.

"The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me. Your minds are opening up to me." Falco answered.

"So this was your plan all along." Donnie summarized.

"Of course. No man can defeat you when you know his every thought." Falco admitted with a smile.

I glared at the madman and hissed, "You're as low as a rat..."

"Oh, really? Then you must know I'm gonna smack-" Raph began his threat, but Falco saw it coming.

"Smack the white off my lab coat?" Falco laughed at the irony, "How humorous!"

"Lucky guess!" Raph said, and then attacked Falco, but Falco dodged, "What?"

Falco chuckled and gave Raph a 'Come-get-me' motion. Raph tried to attack Falco again, but Falco dodged and kept his distance from Raph. Falco chuckled again and waved his finger, clicking his tongue. Raph aimed a kick, but Falco dodged and took Raph's sai. Falco hit Raph in the face, with the hilt of his sai and then kicked him toward Mikey, Donnie and I. Raph was out-cold.

Leo unsheathed his weapons and began attacking Falco. But Falco dodged and kept his distance.

"Whoa! It's like he's psychic!" Mikey said in awe.

"He is psychic, shell brain. That's what he just said." Donnie pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda tuned out when he did his whole "I'm evil, blah, blah, blah" thing. Heh." Mikey admitted. Wow. Master Splinter wasn't kidding about those challenges.

Leo continued to try and attack Falco, but Falco was too fast. Falco caught Leo's katanas and threw them toward Mikey, Donnie and I. Luckily,we dodged them. Falco hit Leo with Raph's sai, knocking him out-cold.

I felt my heart freeze a little, "Leo!" But, the burning anger in my chest thawed it out, "You're gonna pay for this, Falco!"

I dashed toward Falco and unsheathed my eskrima sticks.

I heard Donnie shout, "Ellie, no!" But, my anger deafened me. I activated the taser-ends and began attacking Falco. Falco dodged and kept his distance, but I kept him on his toes.

**Donatello's POV.**

Ellie was attacking Falco with great agility. She's got Falco on his toes. One bad move and he's toast. Even fueled by anger, she still keeps herself under control. Raph could learn from her.

"How are we going to defeat him if he can read our minds?" I asked Mikey.

Mikey smiled, "No prob. I'm good at this. I just have to fight without thinking!" Then it hit him, "Wait a minute, how do I fight without thinking?" Then, he got confused, "Oh, no! Now I'm thinking about not thinking!"

Mikey's dillema was cut short by Falco, hitting him at the back of head with Raph's sai. Ellie tried to jab at Falco, when his back was turned, but Falco dodged and Ellie ran into the door. She was able to stop herself from hitting the door and turned to face Falco.

"A man who can read minds is unstoppable. Once I dispose of you two, no one will be able to stand in my way." Falco told Ellie and myself.

Ellie conjoined her sticks into a staff, like mine, and I drew my staff. "We'll see about that." I told Falco.

Ellie and I tried to double-team, but Falco dodged our every move. Falco threw Raph's sai at us, but I blocked it with my staff. Elle and I jabbed Falco, but he grabbed our staffs and threw us into the nearest wall. Ellie fell unconscious, whilst my back ached for a few seconds.

"I really must admire that complex brain of yours. You come up with so many ideas. Too bad I can see them all coming." Falco complemented, told me. "By the way, do you really think you have a chance with April?" He asked.

Those words struck a nerve, but I had to remember what Ellie and Master Splinter told me. "I can do this. Just have to fight without thinking. No thinking. No thinking." I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I was successful. I found a space between my thoughts, "Don't think. Just do."

I charged toward Falco and hit him with two kicks, forcing him into the all behind him. Falco charged toward me, but stepped aside and tripped him. I gave Falco an upperhook, then kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble to his desk. Angry, Falco tried to throw a punch at me, but I dodged with a backflip. I landed on the wall and threw a round of spinning punches. The force caused Falco to fall into the torn open cage. Falco fell unconscious.

**Eleanor's POV.**

I regained consciousness and saw that Donnie defeated Falco and Falco was inside the torn cage. The others regained consciousness as well.

"Whoa, Donnie, nice work!" Raph said with a smile.

"Well done, Don." I praised, placing a hand over his shoulder.

"What'd I tell you about those back flips, huh? Pretty cool!" Mikey asked, then smiled, holding the canister of Mutagen.

"Now that we have the ooze, let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang." Donnie said. We looked at the cage and Falco was nowhere to be found, "Falco's gone!"

Rockwell came to and struggled to get out of the chair.

Mikey looked at his brothers and me, "What do we do about him?"

Donnie released the cuffs and Rockwell ran to the window.

He opened the window, then looked at us, "_**Thank you, Eleanor. And Turtles.**_"

"I'm no psychic, but I think he's trying to thank us." Donnie said.

I smiled, "You're welcome, Doctor."

Rockwell jumped out the window and into the city.

"Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York city really the best place for him?" Raph asked.

Before we could answer, we heard Rockwell nearly got hit by a nearby car. A man shouted, in an Indian accent, "Hey, monkey! Get outta the-"

Rockwell reacted and trashed the man's car.

"I'm sure he'll be okay." Leo answered with a small smile.

***Later, back at the Lair***

April left the dojo, after her little chat with Master Splinter. Mikey was off somewhere. Raph was in the lounge, reading a comic book. Donnie was in his lab. And Leo and I were sparring.

Donnie walked to the doorway of his lab, "Hey, April, you, uh, wanna hang out tonight?" He asked April, as soon as she walked by him.

"That sounds great, Donnie, but I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a Kunoichi." April replied.

"Oh." Donnie said, then he went behind his door, then smiled, "Well then, maybe we can train together sometime."

"Sounds great!" April smiled. Then she walked off.

"You see? My flowchart is awesome!" Donnie cheered in enthusiasm.

**Author's Notes: In case you guys are asking, when Rockwell was looking at Ellie's eyes, they both turned cyan with the black sclera. This kind of transformation doesn't phase Ellie because she's hiding the fact that she knows it happens.**

**Hope that helps you out.**


	8. Never Say Xever

Never Say Xever.

**Eleanor's POV.**

***Dream***

_**"You are NOT a member of THIS family. You're just a FREAK!"**_

***End Dream***

I sat up awake from the nightmare, panting. Cold sweat dropped from my forehead. This was the fourth time, this week, I've had that nightmare. How could someone say that?

"Ellie? You okay?" I heard Mikey asked me.

Oh, my bad. I was spending my day with Master Splinter and the Turtles. I had a sparring session with Raph. Raph placed a bet on who would go the longest. The loser would have to clean out the pizza boxes in the Lair. So, we fought until one of us was exhausted. I lost, of course. I cleared out the boxes and must've crashed on the couch. Instead of taking a nap, I must've fell asleep and had my nightmare.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and calmed myself down, "I'm fine, Mikey. It was just a nightmare."

"Sounded more than a nightmare to me. You were moaning and screaming." Raph commented.

"Oh. Sorry about that, guys." I sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of my head, embarrassed. I looked and noticed someone put a blanket over me, "Who put this over me?"

"Leo did." Mikey answered, pointed to Leo, who was sitting on the other side, blushing and rubbing the back of his head.

I lightly blushed as well, "Thank you, Leo."

"What was your dream about?" Donnie asked.

"Just something silly." I answered. I don't want to worry the boys too much.

"Hey, guys!" A familiar voice shouted from the toll gates.

The boys and I looked and saw April entering the Lair. The boys and I were happy to see her.

"Hey, April. What's up?" Leo greeted, then asked.

"Well, I found a noodle shop, downtown. And I was thinking you guys can join me in checking it out." April answered with a smile.

The boys and I smiled. It's been a while since the boys got out of the sewer. The boys and I got our ninja gear, just in case. And followed April to the noodle shop. I followed like a normal person would. But, the Turtles kept to the shadows. It slowed us down a bit. Can't blame the boys being cautious. They're Mutants. If I was a Mutant, I'd be hiding in the shadows as well.

"You guys want to speed it up a little?" April asked, looking behind her.

"Are you saying turtles are slow?" Donnie asked, from the ticket booth of the theater.

"That's a hurtful stereotype." Mikey said, from the other side of the booth, with Raph behind him.

"Trust us, April. We are better off keeping a low profile." Leo assured, from the poster wall, "We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist." He explained.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change." April said with a smile.

"What are you talking about? We go out all the time." Raph asked, then pointed out.

"Yeah, but tonight you're going to do something besides hitting people." April answered.

"Aww." Raph moaned, dropping into a shlump posture.

"Don't worry. You're going to love this noodle place I found." April reassured the Turtles.

"And you're sure we'll be welcome?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind." April answered and explained. I smiled with her, then... Did she say Murakami?

"Awesome." Mikey smiled, but got hit at the back of the head, by Raph.

I gave Mikey a look, "Mikey..."

"I mean, for us obviously." He corrected.

"Wait, did you say Murakami?" I asked April with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" April answered, then asked.

Raph sighed, "Don't tell us. You know him."

I smiled with a nodd, "Yeah. He's my boss."

"Boss?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, yeah. I got a part-time, as his assistant, a few days ago." I explained. I looked over to Raph and noticed that he was giving me a look. I rubbed the back of my head, "Like I said before, Raph. I'll keep you posted."

We arrived at the noodle store. However, by the shadows of the window curtains, chaos was happening. Three early adult men were trashing the shot from the inside and bullying an elderly man.

"Oh, no." April gasped.

I sighed with a bored expression on my face, "Not again..."

"Who are those creeps?" Donnie asked.

"The Purple Dragons." April answered.

"They think they own the streets around here." I explained.

Things started to go sour, as there was nothing else to destroy. So, the Purple Dragons turned their view to Murakami-san. Murakami was a chubby, early-elder man of Japanese descent. He wore a chef's hat, a white collored shirt, brown pants, a japanese apron and wooden sandals. Over his eyes, Murakami wore a pair of round shades, bringing a dead giveaway that he was blind.

"Guys, we have to help him." I told the Turtles.

"So much for not hitting people tonight." Leo said to Raph.

Raph smiled, "Oh, well."

The boys and I dashed into the entrance and got into a defensive stance, with Mikey shouting, "Booyakasha!"

The Purple Dragons looked and saw us. Now I can to the description of these street punks. The Purple Dragons have three things in common. They're of Asian descent. Their style of clothing are of hardcore rocker and street punk. And they have a dragon tattoo on their left arms. That's basically all I can say.

"All right, let him go. You don't want any trouble." Leo told the Dragons.

"We, on the other hand, do." Raph included.

"Whoa, those guys were serious. There really are giant turtles." The leader, Fong, gasped, then told his two members, Tsoi and Sid.

Fong, by physical description, is shorter and skinnier than Tsoi and Sid. Sid is buff, but stupid. And Tsoi is a good combination between the other two, of course the only one with a goatie.

Hold on. The Purple Dragons have heard about the Turtles? How could... Xever, you sneaky fish.

"You've heard of us?" Mikey asked the Dragons, then he looked at his brothers, "Dudes, we're famous."

"That's bad." Donnie told Mikey.

"Oh. Right." Mikey said, with his smile falling.

"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours. So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from?" Fong told the boys.

"Turtles don't slither, Fong!" I told Fong.

"Actually, we're freshwater turtles." Donnie told Fong, then got caught in thought, "I suspect that we're derived from the diamondback terrapin. But, it's possible we're a common box-"

"Get 'em!" Fong shouted, cutting Donnie off.

The boys and I dashed into combat with the Purple Dragons. Raph and I took Tsoi, Mikey and Donnie took on Sid, and Leo fought Fong. The Dragons were easy to take down, due to they know no ninjutsu. However, in mid-fight, Mikey got side-tracked by a bowl of ramen. April, who tried to stay out of the fights and get Murakami out, notice Sid aiming to take Mikey by surprise, and thew a wok lid at him. The impact threw him to the ground.

Mikey noticed and gave April a thumbs up, "Thanks, April."

April smiled, "You're welcome." April help Murakami's arm over her shoulder and lead him to the exit. She saw a dish flying toward her, so she yelled, "Duck!" Murakami ducked and April helped him out of the shop.

Donnie, Mikey, Raph and I were able to defeat Tsoi and Sid with no trouble. Leo defeated Fong, but he didn't knock him out. He let Fong go.

"Get out of here." Leo told Fong with a glare.

Fong smirked, and walked toward the exit of the shop. He woke his gang, "Come on. Let's go." Then he looked at the Turtles and me, "This ain't over, greenie." Then he ran off to who-knows-where. Maybe to tell Xever what he saw.

"'Greenie'? Really? I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that." Donnie wondered.

"You just let him go? What the heck was that?" Raph asked Leo.

"They weren't exactly a threat. They'd had enough." Leo answered.

"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy. There's no 'enough'. Now they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job." Raph shouted.

Leo sulked a little.

I lightly smiled at Leo, "I think you did the right thing, Leo."

Leo looked at me and smiled back.

"Wow. That was great, you guys." April said, leading Murakami back inside.

"Thanks, April. Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool?" Donnie answered, then asked. He chuckled, "I bet it looked cool."

"The coolest." April answered with a big smile and looked away slightly.

Donnie's smile fell, "You didn't see it, did you?"

"No, I did not." April admitted.

"My friends, I'm indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge." Murakami spoke up with a smile.

Raph smiled, "I think we can allow that."

"What is your favorite dish?" Murakami asked.

The boys smiled and said in unison, "Pizza!"

Murakami nodded then asked me, "Ellie-chan, would you like to help me with this dish?"

I smiled, "**はい****,****、村上様** (Hai, Murakami-sama/Yes, Mr. Murakami)."

And like that, Murakami and I got to work. Murakami took care of the of the ingredients, while I took care of the dough and the herbs and spices. Murakami was really quick and checked on every piece of food that needed a lid lifted, or flipping.

"Murakami-san, that was awesome!" Donnie said, as he watched us.

"You're like a ninja, but for food." Mikey smiled.

Once Murakami and I were finished, we served four dished of gyoza dumplings.

"Pizza gyoza." Murakami indentified with a smile.

"Pizza gyoza?" April wondered.

The boys looked unsure. "Go ahead, guys. You'll like them." I assured.

The boys tried one and they looked like their eyes were about to fall out of their heads. The boys smiled in delight, "Wow." "Delish!"

"It's like I got a one-way ticket to Flavorville." Donnie said with a smile.

I chuckled, "Told ya so."

"This is really good too, you know." April said, holding her bowl of ramen soup.

The boys looked at her, then returned to their food. I lightly smiled. They're boys. One-track-minded when it comes to food. I should know, my best cousin is a boy. Haven't seen him in a while. I wonder how that crazy Hockey Puck is doing.

A thought came to Leo. "Uh, Murakami-san, do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?" He asked Murakami.

Murakami sighed as his smile fell, "Yes. They demand protection money but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."

"Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't wimped out." Raph replied, shooting a look at Leo.

Leo sulked a little. Being the micheivous little brother, Mikey took the last of Leo's pizza gyoza. Leo noticed and gave Mikey a glare. Mikey chuckled.

***Later, back at the Lair.***

I went to the Lair with the Turtle's to continue my training with Master Splinter. The boys were doing their own thing, and April returned to her home.

As I trained with Splinter, a nagging pain at the back of my mind kept distracting me. It got worse when Splinter aimed a punch at me, as his image was replaced by my uncle's. I gasped, tried to protect myself and braced for the attack. Splinter hit me and the force caused me to fall on my back.

I rubbed my head and saw Splinter giving me his hand. I took his hand and he helped me up.

"What is wrong, Eleanor? You seem more distracted that normal." Splinter-Sensei asked.

"I'm worried, Sensei. The city's punk gang, the Purple Dragons, know about your sons, before meeting them. I fear Shredder is making his next move." I admitted.

"You seem very, as you say, jumpy about the Shredder. Is there something you're not telling me?" Splinter-Sensei commented, then asked.

My blood ran cold by the question. I don't know if I should tell him, or keep it a secret. If I do tell them, what will they say? What will they do? My train of thought was broken by Raph's voice.

"Whoa, whoa, Leo. I think he's had enough. You better let him go." Raph said.

"I get it. You're making fun of me for not mercilessly pummeling a helpless man." Leo's voice spoke up.

"Yes, I am. You showed weakness. Those guys only understand one language." Raph answered.

"Chinese?" Mikey guessed.

"No. Fists." Raph replied.

"What about feet?" Mikey asked.

Raph sighed, "They understand feet."

"That would make them bilingual." Donnie pointed out. Master Splinter and I exit the dojo, to see what the argument was about.

"Argh! The point is we can't go soft on them!" Raph shouted.

"To show mercy is not soft. It is a sign of true strength." Splinter-Sensei said. I nodded in agreement.

"But, Sensei, they're criminals. This is war." Raph pointed out.

I shook my head lightly, "They're not criminals, Raph. They're a gang of punks. Every city has a few."

"A Daimyo of the 16th century once said, 'In times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion.'" Splinter-Sensei quoted. I smiled and nodded. Mashimi-Sensei said the same thing to one of his pupils.

"I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars." Raph commented.

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes and quickly aimed his cane at Raph. The quick motion caused Raph to gasp and tense up.

Master Splinter smiled, "You see? Mercy." Then, he used his cane to hit Raph's arm.

"Ow! Okay, look. Compassion is great. But the Purple Dragons are not going to leave Murakami alone." Raph corrected, then pointed out.

"So we'll track down the Dragons and make sure they got the message. And if they didn't, we'll send them one." Leo answered, then punched his hand, proving his point, "Special delivery."

"Was that meant to sound tough or stupid?" Raph asked.

"How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?" Donnie wondered.

I thought for a second, then smirked, "I think I know who can help us."

***Later, in the city.***

After telling April my plan, she and I found the guy we were looking for. A Chinese fish shop owner, Zhao. (**A/N: I know this guy is known as 'Shopkeeper', but I wanted to give him a name.**) He was sweeping just outside his store. Like the Purple Dragons, Zhao was of Asian descent, and was wearing a light grey, collared shirt, dark pants and shoes with suspenders.

April tapped the Zhao's shoulder, getting his attention, looked both ends of the street and said to him, "We're looking for the Purple Dragons."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhao answered, looking away from us.

I looked at the streets, as April whispered to him, "Don't worry, we can protect you. We're undercover cops."

"You look like you're 16 and your friend looks 14." He told April and I.

I lightly smiled and shrugged, "I've been told I have a baby face."

"I know. I'm really good at this." April said, leaning on the window stand. She leaned too close in and she broke the stand, "Whoa." The fish fell on to the street. April lightly blushed and smiled.

"Real smooth." I commented. I felt April give me a look. I've spent too much time with Raph.

"Let me see your badges." Zhao requested.

"Are you crazy?" I asked.

"We can't carry a badge. That would blow our cover." April pointed out.

"I suppose that makes sense." Zhao thought, scratching his head.

April and I smiled.

After Zhao told us everything we needed to know. The Turtles and I made our way to the Purple Dragons' hang, a run-down tattoo parlor. April went home, since she had homework to finish. I finished mine two nights ago.

"Zhao said this was the place." I told the Turtles.

"Cool. Can we get tattoos?" Mikey smiled, then asked. "I want to get one of my face on my face. It'll be like I'm wearing a mask and the mask is me." He cheered in enthusiasm. The boys and I just looked at him. "I just blew your minds, right?" Mikey asked, folding his arms with a smile.

"You know they use needles for that." Donnie pointed out.

"Can it, dorks." Raph told the younger brothers, as he saw Fong walk out of the parlor and began walking down the street, "There he is."

The boys and I quietly followed Fong down the street, until he walked into an abandoned fortune cookie factory. We waited a few seconds, got our weapons ready and charged though the window.

"Freeze, dirt bags!" Leo shouted, until we saw that the Purple Dragons were accompanied by Bradford, Xever, and my sister, Asami. "Uh-oh." Leo muttered.

"I think we can find them ourselves." Xever said with a smirk.

"Oh, man. This is awkward. It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend. The Kunoichi and that other guy." Mikey grimaced.

"The name is Xever. So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells..." Xever introduced himself, then got his knives ready, "With these."

The Purple Dragons and Shredder's henchmen dashed into battle with me and the Turtles. We spread out and took on an opponent, or two, each.

Leo and I took care of Sid and Fong. Fong tried to sneak-attack on us, but we caught him and he hit his face against a wall. He turned to see Leo's katana and my eskrima stick aimed at his face.

"You're making me sorry I let you go." Leo told Fong.

Unknown to me and Leo, Asami and Xever sneaked behind us, Xever attacked Leo and threw him down the stairs, whilst Asami threw me against the railing. Asami got her kamas out and aimed to attack me. I blocked her attack with my sticks.

"**我々は再び会う、妹** (Wareware wa futatabi au, imōto/We meet again, little sister)." Asami said with a smirk in her voice.

The boys were fighting Bradford, Xever and the Dragons. They weren't holding up very well.

"**お姉さん****, ****私にあなた傷つけたくしないください**( Onēsan, watashi ni anata kizutsuketaku shinai kudasai/Don't make me want to hurt you, elder sister)." I told my sister.

I was able to push her away from me. I tried to run and help my friends, but Asami stopped me. Obviously, she wanted me away from them.

"**どうして彼と一緒いる****? **(Dōshite kare to issho iru/Why are you with him?)" I asked, talking about her working for Uncle Saki.

"**生涯の夢****. **(Shōgai no yume/Dream of a lifetime.)" Asami said with a shrug, then she glared at me, "**そして私ます自分の道に立ちせません！**(Soshite watashi masu jibun no michi ni tachi semasen/And I won't let you stand in my way!)"

"**何****? **(Nani/What?) **私たちはの家族思った**(Watashitachiha no kazoku omotta/I thought we were a family)." I asked, then pointed out.

Asami lightly chuckled, "**家族？ますこの科の会員はない。あなただけの異常なだ****!** (Kazoku? Masu kono-ka no kaiin wanai. Anata dake no ijōnada/Family? You're not a member of this family. You're just a freak!)"

My eyes widened and my blood froze. My nightmare was a vision. I felt my heart literally break like glass. All these years... Asami dashed at me and threw some very violent blows at me. I tried to block, dodge and counter, but her anger made her too quick. Using my instincts and agility, I grabbed Asami's arms and performed a **巴投** (Tomoe-Nage/Circle Throw or Monkey Flip), to throw her toward the wall. Asami recovered and whistled loudly. Within seconds, ninjas of the Foot Clan arrived. The Turtles and I were out-numbered.

"Turtles, Ellie, fall back!" Leo told us, sheathing his weapons.

Raph looked at his older brother, as the ninjas threw kunai knives and stars at us, "We're giving up? Again? You kidding me?"

"Yes, it's all part of my hilarious 'let's all live' routine." Leo answered, as he jumped toward the ceilling.

The boys and narrowly made our escape and dashed off, back to the Lair.

"Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!" I heard Xever shout, but we ignored him.

The Turtles and I returned to the Lair and rested. All of us were feeling down, due to not being able to finish, or win this battle. I couldn't stop thinking about Asami's words. 'Not a member of the family. A freak.' The words echoed in my head. My heart ached so much that tears fell down my cheeks.

"Man, could that fight have been any more embarrassing?" Raph asked, punching the dummy in frustration.

"Sure. We could have been hit in the face with pies." Mikey answered, not knowing the Raph's question was retorical.

Raph glared at Mikey in annoyance.

Leo sighed, "It's called fighting smart, Raph." He stood up and looked at his brother, "The Purple Dragons have Bradford, that Kunoichi and Xever on their side now. Last time, we barely beat those guys." Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, because they're willing to fight to the finish. The only way to beat them is to be just as ruthless as they are." Raph argued.

"Raphael, this 'Xever' can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong." Master Splinter told Raph.

"But Xever wins fights. Isn't that what matters? And he never shows anyone mercy." Raph pointed out, folding his arms.

Leo looked down in thought, then he looked at me, "Ellie, you know something about that Kunoichi. You two were speaking like you know each other very well." He told me.

This got everyone's attention. I guess I can't hide the truth now. I wiped my tears away, rubbed my arm and sighed, "Yeah, I do."

Raph gave me a look, "Care to tell us?"

I closed my eyes and braced myself, "She's my older sister, Asami. Oroku Asami."

The boys and Master Splinter were shocked by this information. Now everything about my family becomes clear. I remembered what Master Splinter said, 'What you hide may be dangerous to those around you.' He was right, if we're gonna fight the Shredder, I have to tell my friends the truth. Regardless of the consequences.

"You're related to Shredder?" Donnie asked, finally able to speak.

I nodded, then explained, "I'm his youngest niece. My mother is Oroku Leiko, Shredder's younger sister. That makes me part of the Foot Clan by blood." I looked at the boys dead in eyes, before continuing, "But, I want nothing to do with them. That's why I changed my last name to my father's; Herbshadow." I lowered my head to a sulk, "Shredder's teachings are... **悪い**(Warui)... bad. Shredder just wants to kill. Bent on revenge and power?" I shook my head, "That's not me. I fight for peace and justice. I can't change who I am. But, I can choose my own path."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Raph asked.

I hugged myself in fear, with tears welling up in my eyes again, "Because, I was afraid what you guys would do to me, if you found out." I admitted.

I braced myself, the tears falling down my cheeks, unsure what the boys were gonna do, or say. Then, they did something that surprised me.

"Ellie, do you really think we're that shallow?" Leo asked, puting my hands into his.

My tears stopped. That look in Leo's eyes. His brothers and mentor had the same look. The only time I've seen this look is from April and my cousin; Acceptance.

"You're our friend, Elle. We don't care if you're the bad guy's niece." Mikey included, placing a hand over my shoulder.

"Indeed, you have proven to have a heart of a true warrior." Master Splinter said with a kind smile.

The boys thew their arms around me. Tears of happiness welled up in my eyes. I haven't felt so happy, since Mashimi-Sensei gave me my green bandana and April became my friend.

"Thank you guys." I said, returning the hug.

Unfortunately, the tender moment was dissolved by my cell phone ringing in April's notification tone. The boys let me go and I got my cell out from my glove. I answered and read the message.

"What is it?" Donnie asked.

"It's April. She wants us to meet her at Murakami's noodle shop, ASAP." I answered.

The boys and I got our ninja gear and dashed out of the Lair, into the city, to meet April. She was pacing back and forth in front the entrance of Murakami's shop.

"April, what's wrong?" Leo asked April.

"It's Murakami." April answered.

She opened the door and the shop looked like it was torn inside-out. And Murakami was nowhere to be found.

"Someone took him and left this." April explained and showed us a note on the wall, pinned by a familiar street knife.

I looked at the knife and instantly recognized it, "That's Xever's knife."

"Sweet! Free knife." Mikey smiled.

"The note, dummy." Donnie pointed out to Mikey. Donnie took the note and began reading, "'No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof of the fortune cookie factory.'"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's bust in there and save Murakami." Raph asked and exclaimed.

"Not so fast. Think, Raphael." Leo told Raph.

"There's two words that don't usually go together." Donnie commented.

"This is obviously a trap." Leo summarized

"Well, what choice do we have?" Raph asked.

Leo thought for a second, then smiled, "Maybe we do need to think more like Xever."

"But Master Splinter said-" Donnie interjected, but was cut off by Leo.

"I know. But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He's got to learn that we can cross the line too. No more Mr. Nice Turtle." Leo explained, then smiled.

"Yes!" Raph cheered, then smiled, punching his hand, "I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle."

I thought for a second and smirked, "And I think I know where to start."

After a little while, Leo explained a plan of an exchange of Bradford for Murakami. The Turtles and I arrived at the tattoo parlor and waited for Bradford to show his face.

"Okay, he's strong, so speed and stealth are essential." I reminded the boys.

"Okay, everybody know the plan?" Leo asked, recieving a nodd from Donnie, Raph and myself. Leo looked over to his youngest brother, "Mikey?"

"Yes." Mikey answered with a bland smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes." Mikey smiled, pointing at me to confirm.

Leo folded his arms, "Tell me what it is."

Mikey thought for a few seconds and then smiled sheepishly, "Um... Maybe we should go over it one more time?"

The boys and I sighed and rubbed our temples in annoyance. We ran through the plan with Mikey, again. And we made sure that he remembered. After a few minutes of waiting, Bradford left the parlor and Raph appeared behind him. Bradford prepared for a fight, but Leo and I jumped on top of him and Raph tackled him down. Mikey bound Bradford with rope and Donnie used duct tape to prevent Bradford from shouting for help. To make she doesn't escape, the Turtles and I encased him into a trashcan and chained it up with a lock.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the other side of the line." Leo said with a smile.

"Now I'm definitely going to need a tat." Mikey smiled, but Raph hit him in the arm, "Ow!"

Mikey and Raph tried to pick up Bradford, but his muscle mass and the weight of the trashcan made it quite difficult. "Dang, this sucker's heavy." Raph commented.

Mikey lost his grip and Bradford rolled off Raph's back and rolled into the wall.

"Sorry." Mikey apologised to Bradford.

"Don't apologize to him." Raph told him.

"I mean, sorry I didn't drop you harder!" Mikey corrected.

"There you go." Raph smiled.

With none of us strong enough to lift the trashcan, Raph decided it would be better to roll Bradford over to the fortune cookie factory. Have to say, it was quite funny to hear Bradford mumble in pain.

"Cozy in there?" Leo asked.

Bradford mumbled in response, as Raph and Mikey rolled him down the street.

"Good." Raph replied with a smirk.

We arrived at the fortune cookie factory, but there was little to no sign of Xever, Asami, or Murakami. Until Donnie looked up.

"Uh-oh, you guys. Look." Donnie said.

The boys and I looked up and saw that Xever was on the roof, walking on a wooden pillar, and Murakami was hanging on a rope. Anger burned in my chest.

"Dude, Xever's a jerk." Mikey said.

"You have no idea..." I growled.

The Turtles and I made our way to the roof of the factory, Xever was accompanied by the Purple Dragons, and Asami, who wasn't wearing her mask this time.

"We're here, Xever." I called, getting Xever's attention. Xever smirked.

"Now let the noodle man go." Leo told the Brazilian henchman.

"Sorry, there's been a change of plans." Xever said with a smirk. A group of Foot Ninjas appeared and got prepared for a fight.

Leo smiled, "Actually, there's been another change of plans."

Mikey and Donnie unlock the chains and lifted the trashcan to reveal Bradford.

"I love it when a change of plans comes together." Donnie smiled.

"You let our friend go and we'll let your friend go." Leo told Xever.

Xever chuckled and smirked, "He's not my friend."

The boys looked at each other, as Xever walked toward Murakami and began cutting the rope with his knife. As a reaction, Raph leaned Bradford over the edge as well.

"Uh, we're not kidding. Okay, s-stop or we'll toss him." Leo studdered, trying to keep his cool.

"Go ahead. It'll save me the trouble." Xever said with a confident smirk.

Xever continued to cut the rope. The anger in my chest got too much. I had to retaliate.

"You snakehead!" I shouted, about to dash to attack Xever, but Donnie held me back.

"Uh, Raph?" Leo called, giving up.

Raph looked at Bradford and sighed, "Aw, crud."

Raph threw Bradford away from the edge and on to the floor.

Xever chuckled, "That's what I thought."

Asami pointed at us and shouted, "Attack!"

The Foot Ninjas dashed toward us. Donnie let go of me and I dashed toward the ninjas. I may be angry, but I'm not that much like Raph. I know how to control myself.

The Turtles and I defeated the Foot Ninjas with ease. However, the more we defeated, more came. Of course, Xever tried to throw us off-guard by throwing kunai knives at us, but we dodged or deflected them. After some time of defeating the ninjas, their numbers got us surrounded.

"All right. Let's settle the score, pond scum." Bradford said, anger clear in his aura and eyes.

"We're the ones who didn't want to throw you off the roof." Donnie pointed out, but Bradford didn't listen.

Along with the ninjas, Xever, Bradford and Asami joined into the battle. It was difficult for the boys and I to keep up. As I was fighting the ninjas and Asami, I noticed that she wasn't harming my friends. It was only she was aiming for. Why does she want to hurt me so bad? Was it something I did to her?

Mikey and Donnie didn't last long against Bradford and Xever. Raph was in battle with Xever, and Xever was too quick. Leo was battling Bradford, as he was doing well. I held my own against my own sister, but she was getting quicker. Xever was able to kick Raph down, this caught Leo's attention.

"Raph!" Leo called out to his brother in worry.

Unfortunately, Xever and Bradford took this distraction as an opportunity and beat Leo down. I noticed this and I got worried too.

"Leo!" I called.

Asami caught me, while my guard was down and tripped me into the air with Uncle Saki's Death Dragon Kata. While I was in the air, Asami punched me in the stomach and the force threw me with the turtles.

Asami scoffed, "Weak."

Xever chuckled, "See, Bradford? That is how you catch turtles. And next, I'll show you how to fillet them."

"You'd never have caught them without me and you know it." Bradford argued.

Asami chuckled, "Oh, yes. What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trash can?"

I heard metal clashing with stone. I opened my eyes and saw one of Leo's katanas. I looked over and saw Leo noticed it too. We looked and saw Fong with a look on his face, before he ran off. Leo smiled and I looked at him with a smile. I knew he made the right choice on letting Fong go.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to cut these turtles into little pieces." Xever said, as he got his knife ready.

Leo stood up and aimed his katana at Xever, "I don't think so."

Leo jumped backward and cut through the support of the water tank. I moved the other boys back, so they wont get caught by the rushing water, that caught Bradford, Asami, Xever and the rest of the Foot Ninjas. However the water put pressure on the pillar and the rope that held Murakami snapped. Being faster, Mikey used his kusarigama chain and saved Murakami from the fall.

"I got him!" Mikey called.

"Nice save, Mikey." Leo smiled, then he, his brothers and I began to pull Mikey and Murakami up.

"Don't look down, Murakami-san. Or, um, listen down." Mikey told Murakami.

I noticed Leo looking across the street. I followed his gaze and I saw Fong, looking at us and, then running off again. Leo looked at me and I smiled. He smiled back at me.

***Later, at Murakami's Shop.***

We returned Murakami back to his store and he said he had a for us for his rescue. He walked into his kitchen and came back with a sealed white bag.

"Accept this token of my gratitude. Pizza gyoza." Murakami said with a smile.

"Awesome. Thanks, Murakami-san." Donnie said, taking the back.

"You're welcome, Ellie and Turtle-san." Murakami replied.

The boys and I bowed, but Donnie noticed what Murakami said, "Wait, how did you-"

"I do have other senses. Touch, smell." Murakami explained.

The boys and I looked at Mikey. Mikey lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. He quickly lowered his arm and sheepishly smiled.

"You don't think we're weird and scary?" Leo asked.

"You saved my life. Who am I to complain? Any friend of Ellie-chan's is a friend of mine." Murakami answered.

Mikey smiled and hugged Murakami. Murakami gasped in surprise, then smiled. I smiled as well. The Turtles were able to make another friend, regardless of their appearance.

***Later, back at the Lair***

The Turtles, April, Master Splinter and I were sitting around the lounge, enjoying our pizza gyoza. Leo told Master Splinter what happened and Donnie was trying to convince April to try the gyoza.

"Just try one. Sometimes things that don't seem like they go together actually make a great couple." Donnie tried to reason, but realized what he said, then corrected, "I mean, food."

April sighed in defeat, "Fine." She took the gyoza, thought for a second, the smiled in delight, "Whoa. These are amazing."

Donnie smiled. However, April the last three gyoza on Donnie's plate. I lightly giggled at the moment.

"You boys showed your strength today." Master Splinter told Raph, Leo and myself.

"Yeah, but we almost got beaten." Raph pointed out.

"Your strength was mercy. That is why the Purple Dragon helped you." Master Splinter explained.

Leo looked at Raph and smirked, "Well? Say it."

Raph sighed in defeat and admitted, "Okay, okay. You were right."

Leo smiled, "Ahh, see? That wasn't so-"

Raph cut Leo off with a smirk of his own, "Your wimpiness might not be totally useless."

Leo chuckled, "Oh-ho. I'll show you who's wimpy. No mercy."

And Leo and Raph got into a little play-fight. I couldn't help but smile and giggle. If only my family was that close. Unfortunately, my smile faded to worry as I can't help but think that Uncle Saki is gonna go after the Turtles and Splinter-Sensei himself.

My worry turned into determination. I won't let him harm my friends. Not again!


	9. The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet (F.K.A: Enter Shredder).

**Eleanor's POV.**

It's been two days since the battle for Murakami's life. And I'm starting to get really worried and afraid for my friends. Shredder hasn't made his move and the boys are not ready to face him. Heck, last night, I had a nightmare of Shredder tearing the boys into pieces! Ugh, listen to me. I sound like a paranoid nut-case.

Anywho, I spent my day with the Turtles, sparring, training with Splinter-Sensei, and hanging out. Raph and Leo were in the dojo, sparring. I was in the dojo, with them, meditating. Donnie was in his lab and Mikey was in the kitchen.

Leo and Raph stopped sparring, and I awoke from my meditive state, as soon as Donnie walked into the dojo with a handful of eggs with a string tied around them and a rice-paper hat.

"Check it out, guys. We are about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level." Donnie announced.

"Cool." Leo smiled, then knocked Raph down with a sweep on the leg.

"Last night, I figured out how to make ninja smoke bombs!" Donnie said. To demonstrate, he threw an egg on to the ground. A large cloud of black and purple smoke covered Donnie and he was gone. Another cloud of smoke appeared behind Leo and I, and Donnie appeared.

"Whoa." Leo gapsed in awe.

I smiled, "Cool, Donnie."

"Now, to make 'em, I carefully drill two holes in an eggshell without cracking it, slowly blow out the contents, wait for the inside to dry, then pour in flash powder and seal both holes with wax." Donnie explained on how to create Smoke Bombs.

"Blah, blah, science, blah." Raph said, moving his hand like a puppet, then smiled in excitement, "Do it again!"

"What I'm trying to tell you guys is, they take a long time to make, so use them sparingly." Donnie noted to us.

"I'm making breakfast! Who wants omelets?" Mikey's voice sounded from the kitchen.

Donnie's face filled with fear and worry, "Omelets? Mikey, don't!"

Too late, a cloud of black and purple smoke appeared and it vanished to reveal Mikey with black powder covering his face and holding a bowl of smoke bombs.

"Uh, I think that was a rotten egg." Mikey said with a sheepish look.

Leo chuckled at the look on Mikey's face. I surpressed a laugh.

"Those aren't eggs, Mikey. They're ninja smoke bombs." Donnie told Mikey.

Mikey's face lit up to a cheshire cat grin, "Shut up." Then, he started throwing the smoke bombs and began 'poofing' all over the dojo, "This... is the... best day... of my life!"

"Mikey, stop!" Donnie shouted.

Mikey smirked, dropped another smoke bomb and he was gone. He appeared behind Donnie and hugged him, "I love you, man." Then, he kissed Donnie on the cheek, "Seriously."

The moment was broken by April's voice, as she entered the lounge of the Lair, "Guys! Guys, you'll never believe what happened to me."

The Turtles and I left the dojo and saw April sit down, hugging herself. "**Mon Dieu **(My goodness), April. You're trembling. What happened?" I summarized, then asked my best human friend.

"All right, April, calm down. Are you okay?" Donnie told April, then asked her.

"I am being hunted by a giant pigeon!" April answered, still stricken with fear.

Raph laughed at the answer, but stopped as soon as he saw the rest of us not laughing. He frown, "I can't be the only one who finds that funny."

"It's not funny, Raph. There's a creature out there trying to hurt my April." Donnie explained. He got a look from April, then he smiled and corrected himself, "Our April. April."

"This is serious. I'd better get Splinter." Mikey said.

"We don't really need-" Leo tried to answer, but Mikey already dropped a smoke bomb and Master Splinter appeared in his place.

"Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?" Master Splinter asked.

April told us what happened. As she explained the pigeon's description and behaviour, I began thinking about the Mutant.

"His talons were razor sharp. He would have torn me to pieces, if he hadn't slammed into the glass." April finished.

Raph laughed again, then stopped and frowned, "Really? Just me?"

Splinter-Sensei jabbed Raph and the back of his head with his cane, "Raphael! Clearly April is upset."

"Yeah, dude, that's so insensitive." Mikey told Raph, then turned to April, "Do you need a tissue?"

"I think I'm okay." April answered.

"I'll get you a tissue." Mikey said, then used a smoke bomb to disappear for a second, then he reappered. "We don't have any tissues. Can I make you some soup?" Mikey told April, then asked her, readying another smoke bomb.

Thinking quickly, I took the bomb from Mikey's hand, "That's enough, Mikey!"

"Don't worry, April, we won't let anything happen to you." Donnie assured April.

"Donnie's right. We're gonna set a trap for this 'pigeon-man' and make sure he never bothers you again." Leo agreed and planned out.

"Well, I know what we can use as bait." Donnie said.

"Bread crumbs!" Mikey shouted, then got a looked from Leo and Donnie, "Pigeons eat bread crumbs."

"I meant April." Donnie answered.

Mikey stood in front of April, in defense, "You're gonna let him eat April? I thought you liked her!"

"Yeah!" April said, peeking from behind Mikey.

Donnie smiled assuringly, "Don't sweat it. We've got your back."

"All right, Mighty Mutants, let's do this." Leo smiled.

"'Mighty Mutants'? What, 'Dancing Dorks' was already taken?" Raph asked.

The boys got their ninja gear and made their way to the toll gates to wait for me. As I got my ninja gear, I stopped and looked at the green bandana mask, Mashimi-Sensei gave me. If my nightmare was a vision, like last time, I might as well let Uncle Saki know that I want no business with the Foot Clan. Blood or not. I removed my glasses and put the mask around my eyes. I opened my eyes and everything around me was blurry and fogged. That was okay though. I left the roof and met up with the Turtles.

"Wait! We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him." Splinter-Sensei spoke up.

"With all due respect, Sensei, it's a pigeon." Leo answered.

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy. What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident." Splinter-Sensei said, with worry evident in his voice.

I nodded, "I agree with Sensei, Leo. Overconfidence leads to a certain downfall."

"Sensei, Ellie, in the past few months, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas. Maybe we're not overconfident. Maybe we're just that good." Leo pointed out.

Before Splinter-Sensei could say anthing else, Leo grabbed my hand and we left the Lair. The Turtles, April and I went over the plan one more time and we all picked a spot to hide. Leo hid in the dumpster, Raph his in the manhole, Mikey was hiding in the fire escape, Donnie and I hid in the shadows. April just walked around.

"Here I am, walking around in the big city. All alone! Oh, I sure hope no crazy pigeon-man sneaks up on me. That would be the last thing I'd want." April said out loud, in an acting tone.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asked, stepping out of the shadows.

"You wanted me to be bait. I'm bait." April answered.

"That's not how bait talks." Donnie argued.

"How do you know how bait talks?" April asked in a snappy tone.

"I know bait doesn't talk back." Donnie snapped.

The rest of us got out of our hiding spots and gasped.

"Oh, no, you didn't." Mikey said, waving his finger and smiling. Then we returned to our hiding spots.

"Just act natural." Donnie said, returning to his hiding spot.

April sighed and said out loud, "Here I am, actin' natural. Just totally defenseless against any, I don't know, hideous mutant pigeon-guy who might happen upon me."

Within no time, the pigeon-man showed up. April noticed and screamed. Before the Mutant could touch April, Donnie stepped out of the shadows and shocked the pigeon to the ground.

"Now!" Leo called, as the rest of us jumped out of our hiding spots and pinned the pigeon down.

The pigeon tapped its large hand in submission, "Okay, okay, uncle! Jeez Louise."

"And you said I wasn't good bait." April said, looking at Donnie.

"Okay, start talking, 'Pigeon-man'." Leo told the pigeon.

"I have a name." The pigeon told Leo.

"Yeah, we just don't care what it is." Raph answered.

The pigeon glared at Raph, "It's Pete."

"Why were you trying to hurt April, Pete?" Leo asked.

"I didn't wanna hurt her. I was just bringing her a message. From her father." The pigeon, Pete, answered. As I stared, the Mutant's aura turned light, indicating he was telling the truth.

April gasped and looked at Leo, Raph, Mikey and I, "Let him up."

The boys and I got off Pete and he stood up.

"We were both guests of the Kraang. They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this." Pete told us, explaining a portion of his story.

"Oh, that must have been horrible. Being turned into a pigeon." April said in sympathy.

"Actually, I started out as a pigeon." Pete admitted.

I smiled, "I thought so."

Leo looked at me, "How?"

"April said he charged into a glass window. If he started as a human, he would've avoided it." I answered.

Donnie nodded, "Good point."

"Told you the bread crumbs would have worked." Mikey commented.

Excited, Pete grabbed Mikey and began shaking him, "You've got bread crumbs?"

April cleared her throat to get Pete's attention, "Um, my father?"

Pete returned to the task at hand, "Oh, right."

He dropped Mikey and Mikey yelped, "Ow!"

Pete gave April a cell phone and a video message of Mr. O'Neil started playing, "Something terrible is about to happen. And I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of this city as soon as you can. Save yourself. Remember, I love you."

April hugged the phone, "I love you too, Daddy."

Leo looked at Pete, "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

Pete shook his head, "I'm just the messenger."

"We have got to get you out of the city." Donnie told April.

"I'm not going anywhere without my Dad." April argued.

"But you heard him, something terrible is gonna happen." Donnie pointed out.

"Then we'd better hurry." April answered.

Donnie thought for a second, then nodded.

I looked at Pete, "Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding Mr. O'Neil?"

Pete nodded, "I can, but it's gonna cost you a lot of bread."

"We're talking about actual bread, right?" Leo asked.

Pete nodded again, "Yeah. Sourdough."

I smiled, "You betcha."

"Let's roll!" Mikey said, and threw a smoke bomb.

After a few minutes of following Pete, he lead us to the roof of a large building, that looked similar to a business building. And, as promised, I gave Pete two loaves of sourdough bread. I brought them from home. None of my family likes sourdough, so what was the point of keeping it. Pete thanked me and flew off. Donnie took no time in remove the ventilation shaft covering.

"Piece of cake." Donnie smiled.

April smiled, ready for action, "Let's do this."

I put my hand over April's shoulder before she could move, "We need you to wait here, April."

April gave me a look, "Are you crazy? My Dad's in there."

"Along with who knows how many Kraang." I stated with a slightly worried tone.

"Ellie's right. This requires stealth and mobility. Leave it to the pros." Leo backed up.

"I can't just do nothing." April argued.

"You won't be doing nothing. We need you to lower this rope when we give you the signal." Leo answered, giving April a piece of rope.

Leo, Donnie and I entered the building with no trouble of being spotted. Mikey was being clumsy and landed with a thud. The Kraangdroid heard Mikey and aimed its weapon at Mikey. Luckily, Raph entered last and took down the Kraangdroid.

Using our ninja stealth, the Turtles and I quietly made our way to the main control room. We took down any Kraangdroid that we encountered, before they could react. We entered a room with a large terminal pillar and was streaming with strange, yet very familiar computer data.

"Donnie, hack into the system and see if you can find out about the Kraang's plot. Raph and Ellie, you're with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie." Leo told us.

"Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Hey." Mikey said, feeling offended.

I was about to speak, but Leo cut me off, "I don't want him. And I'm in charge."

"Hey!" Mikey repeated.

"Well, then make Raph take Mikey." Donnie told Leo.

"Over my dead body." Raph replied, folding his arms.

Mikey looked at his brothers in disappointment, "You know, I'm starting to think nobody wants to be with me. Fine, I'll just go off on my own."

Mikey got a smoke bomb out. I was about to stop him, "Mikey, dont-"

But, he slammed it down and disappeared. A door opened to reveal Mikey with smoke.

Mikey sheepishly smiled, "That's a closet."

"Have fun, you two." Raph said, as he, Leo and I left the room to look for Mr. O'Neil.

Leo, Raph and I made our way down the corridors and looked through every prison cell, only to find them empty or scientists that we don't recognize. Until we found a cell, in the corner, and was with only one prisoner.

"Mr. O'Neil? Are you in here?" Leo called.

As luck had it, Mr. O'Neil came to the window and saw us.

"You're one of the turtles who rescued my daughter. Is she okay?" Mr. O'Neil recognized Leo, then asked.

"She's fine. She's right outside." Leo answered.

"You mean she's still in the city? That girl is stubborn." Mr. O'Neil asked, then sighed.

"Yeah, we've noticed." Leo answered, opening the lock and started picking at it.

"Kinda takes after you, Mr. O'Neil." I said with a small giggle.

"How many times, Ellie? Call me Kirby." Mr. O'Neil said with a chuckle.

I chuckled with a smirk, "You know that's not gonna happen anytime soon."

Leo was taking a while on picking the lock.

"Since it's taking Leo forever to pick that lock." Raph started with a conversation.

"I'm working on it!" Leo argued.

"Need help?" I asked, looking over the lock's wires and buttons.

"I got it, Elle. Thanks." Leo answered with a small smile. I nodded and returned to my post.

"Maybe you can tell us what the heck's the deal with the Kraang." Raph finished.

"They're aliens from another dimension. When they came here, they brought the mutagen with them." Mr. O'Neil answered.

"Why? What's the point of turning people into monsters?" Leo asked.

I went deep into thought about the Kraang's actions. It was obvious that the Kraang didn't bring that much ooze, if they wanted to turn people into hybrid creatures.

"The mutagen doesn't work the way they thought it would. Apparently the physical laws of their universe are different from ours." Mr. O'Neil answered.

"So they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze." Leo summarized quickly.

Raph faked a gasp, "Wow, you figured it out!" Then asked Leo, "How's that lock coming?"

"So what do they want the ooze to do?" Leo asked.

"I wish I knew." Mr. O'Neil answered, shaking his head.

"I have a hunch, but I hope I'm wrong." I said out loud, while still in thought. I didn't notice the boys looking at me.

My train of thought was broken when Donnie and Mikey showed up, "Leo, Ellie, Raph, they've planted a mutagen bomb downtown. They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" Donnie reported, then saw Mr. O'Neil, "Oh, hi, Mr. O'Neil. Your daughter's really nice."

Mr. O'Neil raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

"Okay, we have to disarm that bomb." Leo told us, then added in frustration, "If I could just get this stupid door open."

"Have you tried this?" Mikey asked, pressing a button on the wall.

"No!" The boys and I shouted as the alarm sounded. I face-palmed.

"And that's why no one wants to be with you!" Raph told Mikey, who sheepishly smiled.

"Got it." Leo told us, as he finally got the door open. Kraang showed up and began firing their weapons at us. "Let's move." Leo told us, as we guided Mr. O'Neil to the exit.

The boys and I hid behind the creates. Of course, Mikey tripped and Raph gave him a smack in the head. Leo looked up and began making bird sounds.

Raph looked at Leo, "What are you doing?" Then shouted, "April, throw the rope!"

April looked through the shaft and saw her father, "Dad!"

Mr. O'Neil looked up and saw his daughter, "April!"

Kraangdroids continued to fire their weapons at us. Raph kicked a barrel at the ones coming from in front of us, then attacked a Kraangdroid that came from behind. The droid dropped its weapon. Mr. O'Neil went to grab the weapon.

"Mr. O'Neil, what are you doing?" Leo asked Mr. O'Neil.

Mr. O'Neil grabbed the weapon and began firing at the Kraangdroids.

"Save my daughter. Save the city." Mr. O'Neil told the boys and I. My blood ran cold.

"Daddy, no!" April shouted.

"Not a chance, Kirby!" I shouted.

Mr. O'Neil looked at me and lightly smiled, then he turned serious and shouted, "I said go!"

Leo tapped on Donnie and my shoulders, "Go, go!"

The Turtles and I made our way to the rope, while Kirby was taking down the Kraang, so we could escape.

"We can't leave him here." Donnie pointed out.

"We don't have a choice." Leo answered.

The boys and I climbed up the rope and made our way to exit. Unfortunately, Kirby wasn't lucky. The Kraang out-numbered him and caught him.

"No!" April cried. The Kraang took Kirby away and April hugged Donnie, on the brink of tears.

Donnie looked at April, dead in the eyes, "We'll get him back, April. I promise."

"We gotta go." Leo told us.

The Turtles and April dashed off the roof, but I stayed behind and looked back for a few seconds. I balled my hand into a tight fist in anger and determination. The Kraang will pay if they harmed Kirby. I'll make sure of it.

We returned April to the Lair, where she'd be safe, got a few bows and arrows and made our way to the Mutagen bomb. According to Donnie's co-ordinates, the bomb was on the roof of Wolf Hotel. We arrived at the location and found the perimeter was surrounded by Kraangdroids. We made quick work of them with explosive arrows. Once everything was cleared, the boys and I dropped our bows and un-needed arrows and made our way to the bomb.

"Okay, Donnie, it's up to you." Leo told Donnie.

Donnie removed the hatch and he and I saw the inner workings. Only one word can sum up what we saw, "Uh-oh."

"'Uh-oh'? Donnie, you said you knew how to do this." Leo stated.

"I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo." Donnie argued.

"They're aliens from another dimension. What did you expect? A big round ball with a lit fuse that said bomb?" Leo reminded, then asked.

"No, but this-" Donnie was about to answer, but Raph cut him off.

"Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another 4 minutes and 15 seconds." Raph said and slapped Donnie in the head.

Donnie took a look at the mechanisms and began pondering. He reach out for the wires.

Out of instinct, Leo called, "Careful."

Donnie shot a glare at Leo and returned to the bomb.

This time, Raph acted out of instinct, "Watch out for those wires."

"You guys are not helping." Donnie snapped.

"What if we just push this button?" Mikey suggested, reaching to press a button on the timer.

Annoyed and on edge, I grabbed Mikey's finger, "Not another step, Michelangelo." I said in a low tone.

"Don't you thing you've pushed enough buttons tonight?" Raph asked Mikey.

Donnie continued to ponder on the mechanisms.

"Donnie, you're gonna have to speed this up." Leo said in a rushed tone.

"I cannot work with all this pressure!" Donnie shouted in a paniced tone.

Suddenly, a sound of clashing metal caught our attention.

"Um, that might be a problem." Leo said.

The boys and I looked at the sign and saw Bradford, Xever and Asami. The boys and I got our weapons ready.

I looked at Donnie, "Keep working on the bomb, Donnie. We'll take care of these guys."

Donnie nodded and returned to the bomb, as Leo, Raph, Mikey and I took care of Uncle Saki's henchmen.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this." Leo said, as he threw Xever back.

"Oh, sorry for the inconvenience. When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?" Xever said, then asked.

"If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out." Leo told the henchmen.

"I'd rather perish with honor than live in shame." Bradford said, as he swung his sword at Raph, who narrowly dodged.

"Will you hurry up and defuse the bomb? We're dealing with a couple of nutjobs here." Raph called to Donnie.

Donnie looked at Raph and snapped, "Be quiet!"

The boys and I were handling our own quite well, but they were getting quicker. They even switched opponents. However, Asami stayed on me. Bradford had Mikey grounded, but switched his aim to Leo when he tried to attack from behind.

"Down to two wires. Which do I cut? Black or green?" Donnie wondered out loud.

"Go for the green!" Mikey called, then got hit by Bradford.

"I agree with Mikey, Donnie. Green wont be mean." I called, then Asami hit me in the stomach, "Oof!"

The bomb's sounds were getting louder, then Donnie muttered, "Eh, why not." Donnie cut the green and blue wire and the bomb went quiet. Donnie smiled, "Guy, guys, Mikey was right about something!"

Then, he joined us in our battle against Xever, Bradford and Asami. After a few blows, the boys and I were able to corner Uncle Shredder's henchmen at the front of the bomb, where the Mutagen was.

"You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons." Leo told the trio.

"Never!" Xever answered.

"You don't have a choice. You've lost." Leo reminded them.

I noticed Bradford looking at the tank full of ooze, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

Bradford stabbed his sword into the glass and the ooze started slightly pouring out. I heard a large crack and that can only mean one thing.

"Leo, watch out!" I shouted, tackling Leo away from Bradford. The glass shattered and the ooze poured all over Xever, Bradford, Asami and me. The force behind the Mutagen caused us to fall off the bomb and onto to roof.

The last thing I heard was Leo crying out, "No! Ellie!" Until the effects of the Mutagen started to kick in. The Mutagen burned through my skin and open wounds and I could feel it re-writing my DNA. The ooze even got into my eyes and mouth. The burning and painful sensations were too much. I let the darkness take hold as I fell unconscious.

**Leonardo's POV.**

Once all the Mutagen was gone, Ellie, Xever, Bradford and Ellie's sister, Asami, were nowhere to be seen. I'll begin my search for Ellie later, now was the time to celebrate our victory.

"So to sum up, we kicked the butts of the Kraang and Shredder's top henchmen, while defusing a bomb and saving the city." I summarized our entire day.

"Yeah, we're not overconfident." Raph smiled.

"We're just that good." I said with a wink.

My brothers and I made our way home, however, a deep, booming voice stopped us from leaving the roof.

"Your skills are impressive." The voice said. My brothers and I looked up and saw, at the top of the bomb, was a tall man in metallic armor and a mask. The man jumped down, "But they will not save you."

As I stared at the man, I realized he fit the description of one man that I've heard stories about. Master Splinter's rival. Ellie's uncle.

"Oh, man. Do you think that's the Shredder?" Donnie asked.

"Well, it's definitely a Shredder." Raph answered.

Shredder stood up and looked at us, as we readied our weapons, "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it."

I shot a glare at the man, "You're gonna have to catch us first." Then I looked at Mikey, "Mikey."

"So long, suckah!" Mikey shouted with a smirk and a smoke bomb in hand. He threw it on the ground, however the bomb was an ordinary egg. "Oops. All right, that one's on me." Mikey said.

Shredder dashed toward us and Raph dashed toward him. Raph was able to hold his own against Shredder, until Shredder hit Raph in the stomach. The force caused Raph to fly into the hotel sign.

"Raph!" I called in worry.

Then Shredder turned his attacks at me. I tried my best to block and dodge, but Shredder was too fast. He was able to kick me down and kicked me few feet away from him.

I heard Donnie cry, "Leo!" Then he dashed at Shredder. He tried jabbing, but Shredder caught his weapon and punched him to the ground.

Mikey tried his kusarigama, but Shredder forced Mikey toward him and kicked off the edge of the roof. With Shredder's attention on Mikey, Donnie and I took this opportunity to land some blows on him. Which worked, until he turned his attacks on us. Donnie and I kept our distance, but we weren't doing well. Donnie's staff broke in half, as he tried to hit Shredder from behind. Shredder picked Donnie up and threw him on top of me.

Raph landed on top of Shredder, as he was about give Donnie and me the final blow, and gave him a furry of punches in the face. But, Shredder caught Raph and threw him to the ground.

Before Shredder could finish Raph, Mikey used kusarigami to suspend Shredder from the ground. Shredder sliced the hotel sign and it fell on Mikey.

Raph, Donnie and I hurried and helped Mikey out of the sign. With Mikey out and Shredder free, my brothers and I continued to fight. However, we were too injured and Shredder was too fast. Shredder beat us all to a pulp, until it was only me left standing.

Shredder picked me up by my throat and pinned me against the sign.

"Tell me where Splinter is and I promise your demise will be swift." Shredder told me, with a third claw reaching for my neck.

I said nothing, closed my eyes, and waited for him to deliver the blow. I opened my eyes, to see that I was on the ground, and Shredder was a few feet away from me and bound by... bolas?

"What is this?" Shredder asked, as his eyes followed a shadow that jumped in front of me.

What jumped was a humanoid lizard, holding a pair of familiar eskrima sticks, in crouching position. It stood up and took a familiar fighting stance. Shredder broke out of the bolas, dashed toward the lizard and began throwing a fury of kicks and punches at the lizard. The lizard dodged and blocked most of his attacks. Some it countered.

When it turned, the sign's light gave me a good look at it. Dark green scales, darker than mine, with green underbelly. Glowing cyan eyes with narrow pupils. Although I could see its eyes, they had black sclera and were glassed over. Kinda like... Ellie's eyes when her abilities take over. It was even wearing a familiar, green, bandana mask.

The lizard was able to hold Shredder off quite well, but he got too fast and kicked it with enough force that it flew into the sign, got shocked and fell unconscious. I was able to catch the lizard, before it hit the ground. The moment my hands touched the soft and smooth scales of the lizard, I felt the spark in my heart again. The lizard was Ellie. She tackled me to keep me away from the Mutagen. That stupid, crazy, stubborn... selfless, kind, wonderful girl.

Shredder aimed to finish us off, but the sound of heavy breathing stopped Shredder and caused him to look behind him.

From a large puddle of Mutagen appeared a large snakehead fish-human Mutant, reaching its hand to Shredder.

"Help me." The fish said in a weak voice. I recognized its voice to be Xever's.

"What is this?" Shredder asked, fear evident in his voice.

"**伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)." A female voice called from the puddle, as a large, humanoid arctic fox rose its head. A large, big muscled, humanoid, akita dog followed the fox, moaning in pain.

"Xever? **姪**(Mei/Niece)? Bradford?" Shredder identified in confusion. My brothers and I took this opportunity to run and return to the Lair. Shredder found out we were gone and shouted, "No!"

***Later, back at the Lair.***

My brother's and I returned to the Lair, sore and injured from our battle with the Shredder. Master Splinter and Ellie were right, we weren't ready to face the Shredder. We knew nothing about him.

I placed Ellie on the couch and walked into the dojo to tell Master Splinter what happened.

**Eleanor's POV.**

I woke up, feeling sore and being ran over by a bull or something larger. Last thing I remembered was being washed over by a large wave of Mutagen. I slightly moaned in pain.

"Hey, she's waking up." I heard Mikey's voice alert the others around me.

I sat up and rubbed my head in pain, "Ow. My head. Wha- What happened?" I asked.

"You gave us quite a scare, Ellie." Raph answered.

"But, we're glad you're okay." April said with a smile.

I looked at saw that the Turtles were covered in bruises and cuts. I smiled though, "I'm glad you guys are alright too."

Leo walked into the lounge with Master Splinter. "You were all very lucky." Splinter said.

"Well, I think we define that word differently, Sensei." Raph answered.

"Few have ever faced the Shredder and survived." Splinter-Sensei noted to his students.

"He was just so fast." Mikey spoke up.

"It was like he was everywhere at once." Donnie included.

"You were right about us being overconfident, Sensei. There are some things we're just not ready for." Leo said to his teacher with a sulk.

Splinter-Sensei shook his head, "Perhaps. But that no longer matters. It is clear now that the Shredder is a problem that will not go away." Then his tone turned serious. I knew what this meant, "So prepare yourselves, my sons. Because as of this moment..."

"We are at war."


	10. The Gauntlet - Asami's Mutation

The Gauntlet - Asami's Mutation.

Hello, viewers. My name is Oroku Asami. As you've guessed, I'm Eleanor Herbshadow's older sister and Oroku Saki's oldest niece, and his prodege for his reputation as The Shredder. And I'm gonna tell you my side on how that freak mutated me into what I am today.

It started off as a regular day. I was just finished with my college homework, and today's taijutsu training at Bradford's dojo.

I was at home, in my room, relaxing. Until Kit, my pet arctic fox, barked at me.

"Shut up, Kit. I earned this time to myself." I told the annoying fox. Why didn't Father give me a rabbit? They're quieter and don't bother anyone.

As I returned to relaxing, I felt a very sharp pain in my hand, "**痛い****! **(Itai/Ouch!) What the heck, Kit?!"

Kit just growled at me. Her tail was pointing to my computer. The notification alert was blinking. How could I have missed that? I walked over to the computer and looked at the notification. Oji-san has sent me an e-mail.

_Oroku Asami,_

_I wish to see you, Xever and Bradford at the cathedral. I wish to discuss about your progress on defeating Hamato Yoshi, his disciples, and your traitorous sister._

_Oroku Saki._

I felt a slight shiver run down my spine. But, I couldn't ignore Oji-san's call. I changed into my Kunoichi outfit, got my ninja gear and made my way to the cathedral. As soon as I arrived, Bradford and Xever were already in the meeting room, in the roof. Oji-san's pet akira dog, Hachiko, was barking angrily at Bradford.

Bradford went on one knee and began to slowly reach out his hand to pet the dog, "It's okay, Hachiko, I'm not gonna hurt you." Hachiko was having none of it, so he bit Bradford's hand, "Ow!"

I lightly chuckled at the scene, "He is not pleased with you."

"Nor am I." Oji-san's voice spoke from behind us, "I entrusted you three with the task of destroying Splinter and his loathsome turtles. Including my traitor of a niece."

Bradford and I knelt on one knee in respect.

Oji-san looked at Bradford, "I spent years molding you in my image, teaching you my darkest secrets, and you shame me with your incompetence."

Bradford sulked in shame and embarrassment.

Xever chuckled and Oji-san turned his attention to him, "You! I should have left you to rot in that prison where I found you."

I lightly smirked and Oji-san turned to me, "And you. My own blood, and you can not defeat your own **妹**(Imōto/Little Sister)."

"I'm wearing her down, **叔父さん**(Oji-san/Uncle). She won't harm her own flesh and blood. I'm using that to my advantage." I answered.

I know my sister very well. Ever since she found me out, she's been holding back and tiring herself to exhaustion. When it gets too much for her, I will separated her from her 'friends' and take her out with one blow.

"Good." Oji-san said with a smirk in his voice.

"The Turtles have been lucky so far, but it won't last forever." Bradford explained.

Xever spoke up, "The next time we meet, I promise you-"

Oji-san cut Xever off, "Enough! I am weary of your excuses. I will now destroy the Turtles myself."

***Later, that night.***

Xever, Bradford and I left the cathedral, to give Oji-san some time to think about how to take down the Turtles and Imōto. We went to a local fish store and Xever ordered some fish, so I could make sushi for supper. The shopkeeper (Zhao) asked us which fish and Xever picked up the snakehead fish.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Present company excluded." Bradford commented on the fish.

"I think he's kinda cute." I said with a smile, as Xever gave it to the shopkeeper.

The keeper struggled to get a good grip. Once he did, the keeper placed the fish on a chopping board and waiting for it to stop moving.

"So, we have a problem." Bradford spoke up.

"No, you have a problem." Xever replied.

I shook my head, "We've all failed Master Shredder."

Bradford nodded in my defense, "Can you live with that shame?"

Xever growled, admitting that he wasn't happy with himself, "If I had the opportunity, I would crush those turtles like bugs."

Bradford and I nodded in agreement, until my cell phone recieved a message. I activated my phone and read the message.

"What is that?" Xever asked.

I smirked, "Opportunity."

***Much later, at the roof of the Wolf Hotel.***

Xever, Bradford and I arrived to see the Turtles and Imōto, dealing with a large bomb full of a strange, glowing, cyan ooze. I noticed Imōto wasn't wearing her glasses and was wearing a green bandana mask instead. Oh, this is going to be easy.

The Blue-masked Turtle must've heard our arrival because he said, "Um, that might be a problem."

The Turtles and Imōto turned and saw us at the sign.

Imōto looked at the Purple-masked Turtle, "Keep working on the bomb, Donnie. We'll take care of these guys." 'Donnie' is its name, huh? Must be short for a some name.

Donnie nodded and returned to the bomb, as the other turtles and Imōto dashed at Xever, Bradford and me.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this." The Blue-masked Turtle said, as he threw Xever back.

"Oh, sorry for the inconvenience. When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?" Xever said, then asked.

"If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out." The Blue-masked Turtle pointed.

"I'd rather perish with honor than live in shame." Bradford said, as he swung his sword at the Red-masked Turtle, who narrowly dodged.

"Will you hurry up and defuse the bomb? We're dealing with a couple of nutjobs here." The Red-masked Turtle called to Donnie.

Donnie looked at the Red-masked Turtle and snapped, "Be quiet!"

Bradford, Xever and I were handling our own quite well, and we were getting quicker than the enemies. They even switched opponents. However, I stayed on Imōto. I will not letting a freak of nature take Oji-san's name as the Shredder. Even without her glasses, Imōto was able to keep up with me. Who taught her... Must've been Hamato Yoshi. Bradford had the Orange-masked Turtle grounded, but switched his aim to the Blue-masked Turtle when he tried to attack from behind.

"Down to two wires. Which do I cut? Black or green?" Donnie wondered out loud.

"Go for the green!" The Orange-masked Turtle called, then got hit by Bradford.

"I agree with Mikey, Donnie. Green wont be mean." Imōto called, then I took the opportunity to hit her in the stomach, "Oof!"

The bomb's sounds were getting louder, then Donnie muttered, "Eh, why not." Donnie cut the green and blue wire and the bomb went quiet. Donnie smiled, "Guy, guys, Mikey was right about something!"

Then, he joined the other Turtles and Imōto battle against Xever, Bradford and myself. After a few blows, the mutant freaks and my freak sister cornered Bradford, Xever and me at the front of the bomb, where the glowing ooze was. I couldn't believe it; my own sister defeated me.

"You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons." The Blue-masked Turtle told us.

"Never!" Xever answered.

"You don't have a choice. You've lost." The Blue-masked Turtle reminded us.

Bradford looked at the tank full of alien ooze, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

Bradford stabbed his sword into the glass and the ooze started slightly pouring out. I smirked at Imōto, as her eyes widen in shock.

"Leo, watch out!" Imōto shouted, tackling the Blue-masked Turtle away from Bradford. The glass shattered and the ooze poured all over Xever, Bradford, Imōto and me. The force behind the wave of alien ooze caused us to fall off the bomb and onto to roof.

The last thing I heard was the voice of the Blue-masked Turtle crying out to Imōto, "No! Ellie!" Until I began to feel strange. The ooze all over my body began to burn through my skin. Like, it was literally changing me into something else. I couldn't handle it any longer, the burning and painful sensations were too much. I let the darkness take hold as I fell unconscious.

I regained consciousness after a while and found myself in a large puddle of the alien ooze. I saw a large snakehead fish-human Mutant, reaching its hand to Oji-san.

"Help me." The fish said in a weak voice. I recognized its voice to be Xever's.

"What is this?" Shredder asked, fear evident in his voice.

"**伯父さん**(Oji-san/Uncle)." I tried to speak, but my voice was weak from the pain. I looked beside me and saw a large, big muscled, humanoid, akita dog followed the fox, moaning in pain. I looked at my hand and saw it was covered in white-grey fur and had claws.

"Xever? **姪**(Mei/Niece)? Bradford?" Shredder identified us in confusion. Shredder looked foward and found out the Turtles were gone and shouted, "No!"

***Later, that night.***

I recovered from whatever happened and made my way home. I wore a black, hooded cloak. I entered the house and entered my room. Kit, my pet fox, whimpered at the sight of me. Now, I was curious of what happened to me.

I entered the bathroom, removed the hood and looked at myself. My eyes widen in shock and fear. Instead of a beautiful, Japanese woman, I saw a humanoid arctic fox. Snout, fur, claws, tail, everything. I couldn't hold it back anymore, I screamed at what I saw.

My scream caught my parents' attention. My father bashed the door open and saw me. I hid my face and braced myself from my parents' reaction.

What I heard surprised me. My mother spoke in a cracked voice, like she was crying, "My darling, Asami. What happened to you?" Mother threw her arms around me.

Only one thing came as I thought back. SHE did this to me. She knew that ooze was gonna turn me into a monster, and she let it happen, so she could take my place as Oji-san's prodege.

I growled and balled my hands into fists, "Eleanor did this. She will pay for what she did."

Eleanor and Hamato Yoshi wanted a war, they've got one!


	11. Panic in the Sewers

Panic in the Sewers (F.K.A: Mojo Rising).

**Eleanor's POV.**

It's been a day since the Turtles and I tried to rescue Kirby, defused the Mutagen bomb, faced Shredder's henchmen, faced Shredder in-person, and I got mutated into an anthropomorphic lizard. Unlike the others that got mutated, I wasn't angry. Why would I be? It felt normal to me. The dark green scales, the tail, even my eyes are different, well... slightly.

My left eye is now neon green, and my right eye is cyan. Both my pupils are narrow and serpentine. What's better, I don't need my glasses anymore. The Mutagen fixed my eyes. It felt like I was meant to look like this. Like Splinter-Sensei, I still have my humanity.

Anywho, the Turtles were scouting the city for Shredder, or anyone that is a member of the Foot Clan. The strange thing was, the entire city was deserted, the streets were covered in fog and I was nowhere to be found. How am I able to know what's going on? Unless...

"Shredder could be anywhere. Stay frosty guys." Leo told his brothers.

"FYI: Frost can cumulate in less below freezing except during process called-" Donnie explained the precipitation of frost, however he started rambling.

Mikey sighed in annoyance, "Maybe he's got off-switch somewhere."

Raph hit Donnie at the back of the head and Donnie yelped, "Ow!"

Raph smiled, "Found it!" Mickey chuckled.

Suddenly, Uncle Shredder's voice spoke from nowhere, "And I've found four pathetic turtles with only seconds to live."

Mikey smiled, "Wouldn't wanna be them."

The other boys got their weapons ready, "We are them." Raph answered.

The boys braced themselves, looking around for any sign of Uncle Saki. Upon the rooftops, I saw myself... just walking by, looking at the boys. Something felt off. Mikey backed up a little, until his shell bumped into Uncle Shredder. Shredder grabbed Mikey and dragged him into the mist. Mikey was able to drop one of his nunchucks, before he disappeared.

Donnie noticed Mikey's nunchuck and saw Shredder in front of him.

"Mikey!" Donnie shouted, as he dashed toward Shredder and tried to attack him with his staff.

Shredder blocked, snapping the staff into pieces. The attack bounced back on Donnie. While Donnie was in mid-air, Shedder dashed behind him and kicked his shell. Donnie fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Raph, take him down!" Leo told Raph, as he dashed toward Shredder, to distact him.

Raph ran up the wall and dove toward over Shredder's heard, sai pointing toward him. However, I appeared and attacked Raph in mid-air. Why am I attacking my own friends? No, this can't be right! I continued to attack Raph in the stomach, until I was able to hit him with enough force, that he flew further into the alley and disappeared into the mist. Leo tried to reach for him, but he was already gone.

"No!" Leo cried. Then Shredder and I chuckled as the cool, midnight mist turned red and hazy.

Leo turned around and gasped. He put his arms in front of his face in an 'X' form, but he got hit with enough force to hit his back in the end of the alley. Leo prevented himself from hitting the ground and looked at Shredder and I with fear stricken on his face.

"There is no place you can run, no place you can hide, where we will not find you!" I said in an evil deadpan tone, as Shredder and I walked closer to Leo. Both our eyes glowing in a maniacal red.

"You think you are ready to face me?" Shredder asked, then he laughed and delivered the final blow to Leo, killing him.

"No!" I screamed, shooting upright from my bed, taking heavy breathes and cold sweat dripping from my forehead. Thank goodness it was just a dream. Or was it a vision? I balled my hands into tight fists, "No... I'm not like him. I won't let it happen to them. Not again!"

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. The boys offered me a place to stay. Since I can't go back home, after what happened at the Wolf Hotel. Without a doubt, my parents wont recognize me and Asami will be given the opportunity to kill me. So, Master Splinter and Leo came to an agreement that I will stay in the Lair, with them. They did have this spare bedroom they weren't using. Thinking it over, I agreed.

"Come on!" Raph's voice shouted, breaking my train of thought.

I hastily grabbed my bandana mask and ninja gear, which was similar to Leo's, put them on and exit my room to catch the boys making their way to the toll gates.

"Where do you guys think you're going?" I asked, catching the boys' attention.

"Heading out for our evening patrol." Leo answered.

"There will be no patrol." Splinter-Sensei spoke up from behind me.

"Sensei?" Leo and I asked in unison.

"Last time you fought the Shredder, you barely escaped with your lives." Master Splinter said. I went deep into thought about that battle. I was unconscious. How did... It happened again, didn't it?

"But Sensei, next time, we'll be ready." Raph said with a confident smile.

I frowned at Raph. I know my uncle. He's ruthless and has mastered ninjutsu way longer than the boys.

Master Splinter's aura tensed. "Yes." He said, as he grabbed Raph's arm and twisted it behind him. "Because, you will stay down here until you are ready. No patrol, no games, no rest. There is only training." Splinter-Sensei finished. He threw Raph toward his brothers, "Starting now!"

Okay, aside from the boys, I'm worried for Master Splinter. Did he have the same nightmare as I did? This can't be good.

***A few weeks later.***

It's been a while since Master Splinter put the boys and myself on constant training. We've hardly had any sleep and the boys were looking tired and worse for wear. I was a little unphased. What? Mashimi-Sensei had me go through the same thing. But for a different reason than Splinter-Sensei; to see how far my limitations can go. I was able to train for two months straight, before my body gave in. Tell me that's not a record.

At this moment, Splinter-Sensei had the boys excercising a shoulder-throw.

"More, Sensei?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, more!" Splinter-Sensei answered.

Mikey and Donnie charged at Raph and Leo. Leo and Raph grabbed them and threw them over their shoulders. Mikey and Donnie landed on their backs.

"There is no intention in your strikes." Master Splinter pointed out, the instructed sternly, "Do it again! We will practice all night if we have to."

Donnie got back on his feet and told Master Splinter, "We have been practicing all night."

We heard snoring and looked over. Mikey was still on his back, sleeping, "Pizza." He mumbled in his sleep.

"Wake him up!" Splinter told Raph.

Raph smiled and cracked his knuckles, "Gladly."

Raph picked Mikey up and threw him to the ground. Mikey woke with a startle and screamed, "Shredder's here!"

Leo placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, and said in a calm tone, "Relax. You were just having a nightmare."

"Aren't we all?" Raph asked retorically, as Mikey stood up.

Donnie raised his hand to speak, "Sensei, can we rest for a sec?"

"Rest?" Splinter-Sensei asked, thought in sarcasm, then answered, "The Shredder will not rest until you are all dead!"

I had enough Splinter's talk about Uncle Saki and decided to speak for the boys.

"Sensei, we've been training nonstop for weeks with hardly any sleep. Your sons need a break." I told Splinter-Sensei.

Raph looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Oh. Like you don't, Eleanor?"

I nodded my head and glared, "That's right, Raphael. I don't."

Raph glared back at me, "Ah, well then, I'll give you a break."

Without warning, Master Splinter attacked all of us. I was able to dodge the attack, while the boys landed on their backs.

"If I were the Shredder, none of you would be breathing right now. Understand?" Master Splinter told us in a stern tone. Mikey fell asleep and rested his head on Leo's shoulder. Splinter-Sensei thought for a second, then reconsidered, "Perhaps a brief rest is in order. We will resume later."

Splinter-Sensei walked into his room and the boys fell asleep. As I watched Splinter walk off, I noticed something in his aura and his voice tone. Despite being stern and hard on his sons and myself, there was an obvious reason behind this behavior.

He was scared.

I don't blame him for reacting this way. The poor man. He lost one family, as I have. With Uncle Saki lurking the streets, trying to hunt us down, Splinter-Sensei can't afford to lose another one. Nor can I. While the boys were sleeping, I took it upon myself to talk to Master Splinter.

I knocked on the door and heard nothing. "Master Splinter? it's Eleanor. I would like to talk to you. Mind if I come in?" I said, then asked.

Again, I heard nothing. I opened the door and saw Splinter, sitting on his bedmat and looking at the portrait of his family.

"Splinter-Sensei?" I gently called. Splinter's ears perked up, indicating that he heard me. I entered the room and sat in front of him. "Master Splinter, I think you should go easy on the boys. I know Shredder is too strong for them, but you reacting on your own fear is only gonna make things worse. Your boys are exhausted and sore. If they face him now, they WILL be dead." I told Splinter-Sensei.

Splinter-Sensei lifted his head slightly. My words are reaching him.

"But, I do agree with one thing that you said earlier. Staying down here until we are ready to face Shredder is a good idea. There's no telling where he is up there, and if he showed up... Please, be a father and protect them the way you do." I finished.

Splinter-Sensei looked at me and nodded, "You speak with wisdom beyond your years, Eleanor. Stay true to that."

I nodded, and began to leave Splinter-Sensei to his thinking. As soon as I reached the door, Splinter spoke up again, "Did a man told you that?"

I shook my head, "No, Sensei. A kind woman in my dreams did."

***Later...***

My words of wisdom have reached Splinter-Sensei. He gave the boys the rest of the day free from training. Leo and I were sparing with our weapons, Mikey was in the kitchen, Raph was in the lounge with Leo and I, reading his comic book, and Donnie was in his lab, working on his new form of transport.

Leo and I stopped sparing when Space Heroes was switched on. Today's episode was on Captain Ryan's crew fighting a group of 20 feet tall, red and black robots. The center robot shot a ray and it hit Captain Ryan.

"The Panicons hit me with an anxiety ray!" Captain Ryan exclaimed, then the ray took its toll and Captain Ryan paniced, "We're all gonna die! And I think I left the food replicator on! The ship might burn down!"

Then, a calm member, Grundch, told Captain Ryan, "Get it together, Captain! You're our leader, so act like one!"

Captain Ryan calmed himself by slapping himself in the face.

"I'm sorry, Grundch. That was the anxiety ray talking." Captain Ryan apologised and explained, then an idea hit him, "I've got it. I'll use the thermal charge."

Captain Ryan threw, what looked like, a small, blue and grey thermos at the robots and the thermos exploded, taking the robots down. Before the episode can continue, the TV was switched off by a shuriken star.

"What? Hey, what are you doing?" Leo asked, looking at Raph.

"Oh, sorry. It was Spike's idea. He said Space Heroes is too stupid for him." Raph apologised, and explained with a sarcastic tone. Spike appeared on his shoulder.

"That's saying something, considering he hangs out with you all day." Leo said, sheathing his katanas, whilst I sheathed my eskrima sticks.

That struck a nerve with Raph, "Nice going, Leo." Raph said, as Spike walked off his shoulder and started eating the leaf on a plate. "You made him angry. So I'm gonna mop the floor with your face!" Raph shouted, getting off the couch and pointing angrily at Leo.

I pushed Raph's hand away from Leo, "All right, Raph. Cool off."

"I can help with that!" Mikey's voice spoke up from the other side.

Leo, Raph and I looked and saw a water balloon coming toward us. It hit Raph and soaked his face.

"Doctor Prank-enstein strikes again!" Mikey said with a huge smile and three water balloons in his hands.

Raph growled angrily at Mikey. "Dude, you should see your face right now. You look so mad!" Mikey teased with a smile.

"Okay, Spike. You'll like this show. It's called, 'Does Mikey Bend That Way?'" Raph said to his pet turtle, cracking his knuckles. Mikey dashed off. "Come here, you!" Raph shouted chasing him. Then, Raph caught Mikey and began beating him up.

Leo watched, as I shook my head. Once everything calmed down, Leo, Raph, Mikey and I walked into Donnie's lab and saw Donnie with a welding mask on and using a blow-torch on a five-seated go-cart.

"You're still working on that go-kart?" Raph asked Donnie.

Donnie deactivated the blow-torch and lifted his welding mask, "It's not a go-kart. It's an all-terrain patrol buggy with detachable sidecars."

He showed the blueprints of the patrol buggy. Leo and I looked through them. Very impressive design and features.

"Dude, hasn't Splinter been riding us hard enough? You gotta find a way to relax." Mikey asked, then suggested to Donnie.

"We all deal with stress in different ways, Mikey." Leo explained.

"Yeah, and this is how I deal." Donnie included.

Mikey smirked, "And this is how I deal." He threw another water balloon.

Leo and I ducked, and the balloon hit Donnie square in the face. Mikey laughed, and Donnie lost his temper. Donnie threw his welding mask on the ground and began chasing Mikey.

"You and Elle are next, Leo! Doctor Prank-enstein makes house calls!" Mikey called, as he ran.

Once everything calmed down with Donnie and Mikey. Leo suggested that we resumed training. The boys and I walked into the dojo and waited for Leo's instructions.

"**抱圍の構え**(Hoko no Kamae/Embrace Posture)." Leo said, with his arms in the air, like an attacking bear. Donnie, Mikey and I mimiced Leo, but Raph just folded his arms. Leo looked at him, "Raph, **抱圍の構え**!"

"Hoko no way. It's bad enough Splinter's driving us into the ground. Now you too?" Raph shouted, then asked.

"We have to keep training. Because, right now, we don't stand a chance against Shredder." Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, and he's up there..." Mikey added, then continued with a creepy tone, "Somewhere... Waiting for us!" Then he started shaking in fear, "I just freaked myself out!"

"I hate to say it, but the fact that we've been laying low might be the only reason we're still alive." Donnie admitted.

"Exactly. So until we're ready, we stay down here." Leo pointed out.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option." April spoke up from the entrance. The boys and I looked and saw April waving her phone.

Mikey went off to fetch Splinter-Sensei. He really needed to hear this. April explained, that she gave the Purple Dragons a pizza with a spy-radio. We grouped up in the lounge and listened to the radio with the Purple Dragons.

"We're meeting Shredder tonight. He's got a plan to destroy the Turtles and that blood traitor, Eleanor." Fong said.

"How? He doesn't even know where they are." Sid asked and pointed out.

"He says they're in the sewers somewhere, and that's all he needs to know to wipe them out." Fong answered. With that, the signal went quiet.

"Our home is no longer safe. The Shredder must be stopped." Splinter-Sensei told us.

"How can we stop a plan we don't even know?" Leo asked.

With a bored and annoyed expression, I popped Mikey's water balloon, that was meant for Leo, with my tanto.

"We have to go topside, and find out what they're planning." Raph said.

"Raph's right. There's no other way." Leo agreed.

The boys and I got our ninja gear ready and we made our way to the city. Following the co-ordinates of the meeting place of the Purple Dragons and Shredder, we arrived at a cathedral. The boys and I hid in an alley just across the street from the cathedral.

"This is the place." Leo said, pointing to the building.

The other boys and I kept behind Leo.

Raph looked behind him and saw that Donnie was too close, "Donnie, you're crowding me."

"Sorry." Donnie said, as he backed up a little.

However, he bumped into a trashcan and the noise startled Mikey. Mikey jumped and kicked Raph in the chin.

"Sorry. All that Splinter talk, about how we're not ready, has me thinking. Maybe we're in over our heads." Mikey apologised and explained.

Raph hit Mikey on top of his head, "You're always in over your head."

Mikey rubbed his head and shouted, "I'm saying now we all are!" Then whimpered, "And that scares me."

Leo placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, "It's okay to be scared, Mikey."

I reassured with a smile, "Leo's right. Raph is scared, too."

"I am not scared." Raph argued, pushing in front of me, so I had to stand next to him.

To prove my point, I snuck behind Raph and gently blew at the back of his neck. Raph jumped, yelled with a startle, and looked behind him to see me. He faked a cough and regained his composure. Leo and I chuckled at Raph. However, the sound of heavy thuds caused the Turtles and I to freeze in fear.

From the corner, appeared a large, anthropomorphic Akita Dog. It was 8 foot tall, had red eyes with black sclera (**A/N: Like Gambit from X-Men**), and wore a familiar pair of shinobi pants with loincloth. Its left arm was larger than its right, and had jagged spikes producing from the shoulder, forearm and knuckle area. Its right hand was encrusted with the same material as the spikes. It looked like a type of calcium.

"You should be." The dog said in a gruff, but recognizable voice.

"Bradford!" "Rad-Brad!" Mikey, Leo and I recognised in unison.

Bradford smirked, "Look what I found, four soon-to-be-ex-turtles, and a traitor of the Foot Clan."

"I'm sure glad it's okay to be scared." Mikey said in a shaky voice.

"You and me both." Donnie replied in the same tone.

Leo unsheathed his katanas and said to his brothers, "This is no time to panic." Then, he changed his mind when he realized how large Bradford was, "Okay, maybe a little."

Bradford kept advancing toward us and it looked like he was getting taller by each step.

"He keeps getting taller!" Mikey said.

"Then I'll cut him down to size." Leo replied.

He dashed toward Bradford, and tried to attack him, but Bradford blocked his attacks and threw him away. Leo, luckily, landed on his feet.

"Uh, let's stick together on this one." Leo said.

Trying to fight as a unit, the boys and I tried to attack Bradford, but his new form made it quite difficult to land a hit on him. Donnie was able to jab him under the chin, but that was as close as he could get. I tried to use my agility to confuse Bradford, but he grabbed my tail and threw me into Mikey and Donnie.

"This is hopeless." Donnie said.

"Keep your head in the game." Leo told him.

Bradford slammed his large hand into the ground, but the boys and I dodged.

"I just want to keep my head on my body." Donnie told Leo.

"Come on. What are we retreating for?" Raph asked. He dashed at Bradford and tried to attack, but Bradford threw him into the nearest dumpster. Raph popped out of the dumpster, "That's a good reason."

Leo looked at Mikey, "Mikey, smoke!"

Mikey got his smoke bomb, but his grip slipped and the egg fell on to the ground, with little smoke.

"What was that?" Raph asked.

"I'm stressed! Excuse me if my aim's a little off!" Mikey shouted, in a paniced tone.

Bradford continued to attack. Donnie, Leo and I tried to keep him busy and away.

"How hard is it to hit the ground?" Raph asked, as he threw his smoke bomb. However, his got caught in a grate. Raph tried to get it, but it fell into the sewers.

"Not so easy, is it?" Mikey asked as a retorical question.

Okay, I've had it. "Oh, will you guys just-" I said, as I got my smoke bomb and threw it at the ground. The egg created a large smokescreen and the boys and I were gone.

***Later, back in the Lair.***

The boys and I returned to the Lair, but we were ashamed of how the battle went. Bradford was too strong for us to handle. Splinter-Sensei entered the lounge and looked at us.

"We couldn't take him." Leo answered.

"Dogpound was just too powerful." Mikey said, giving Bradford a new nickname. It was better than 'Rad-Brad'.

"'Dogpound'?" Leo asked.

"What? 'Cause he's a dog, and he pounded us into the-" Mikey asked, then explained, but I cut him off.

"We get it." I told him.

"I don't see how we're gonna get close to that meeting now." Leo said with a sulk.

"Well, maybe we just need to find a new place to hide." Donnie replied, showing up a postcard of Miami, "I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year."

April closed Donnie's laptop, "No. I'm not letting you guys give up." She stood up and looked at us, "I'll spy on the meeting."

"No way!" Raph shouted.

"Nuh-uh." Mikey protested.

"Not a chance!" I replied.

"You can't." Donnie argued.

"Forget it." Leo disagreed.

"Absolutely not!" Splinter-Sensei sternly told April.

"I can do this." April defended, she looked at Splinter-Sensei, "You've been training me to be a Kunoichi."

"For a few weeks." Master Splinter pointed out.

"What choice do we have? Shredder's gonna attack your home, and we need to find out how, and I'm the only one who can do it." April summarized then pointed out.

The boys and I looked at each other. I have to admit it, she is the only one of us that's still human. But, it's too dangerous for her to go alone. Even Splinter thought it was a bad idea. But, April is stubborn, so we can't change her mind. There was no other choice.

***Later that night, at the Cathedral.***

The boys and I followed April to the cathedral, via the rooftops, and watch her try to get a pizza spy-radio into the building.

"I don't like this." Donnie said.

"Me neither. Giving the enemy a free pizza? Pssh, never a good idea." Mikey replied.

April knocked on the door and a Foot Ninja answered the door. After a few seconds, the ninja slammed the door on April. April ran into the alley and got her phone out. Leo did the same.

"Looks like the Foot Clan are smarter than the Purple Dragons." April reported.

"They have to be. Uncle Saki never appreciated slackers or idiots." I explained.

"Thanks, April. You did your best." Leo replied to April.

Suddenly, the cathedral's bell rang, indicating the meeting was about to start.

"At least we've still got the pizza." Mikey smiled.

April chuckled, "Oh, I'm not done yet."

Donnie noticed and asked, "Wait, what is she doing?"

April threw the pizza into the dumpster, removed her hood and walked over to the door of the condo next to the cathedral.

"Not the pizza!" Mikey cried, then shook his head, "She's gone rogue."

April knocked on the door and Zhao opened the door. She spoke to him then walked into the building.

Donnie smiled, "She's so cool."

April exit the building using the fire escape and made her way to the roof of the cathedral. Of course, her jump was a little short, but she made it over. She entered the meeting room through the broken glass window. She must've put her phone on speaker, because the boys and I started hearing Shredder's voice on the phone.

"Listen carefully. Six of you will hijack a tanker truck on Houston in approximately 15 minutes. The chemical is extremely rare, so you will not have another chance." Shredder began explaining his plan.

"Chemical? What chemical?" Raph asked.

"How about we listen and find out?" Donnie suggested, glaring at Raph.

"How about I break your shell on my knee?" Raph argued, glaring back at Donnie

"How about you two shut it for a minute, while we try to hear Shredder's evil plan!" Leo told his brothers.

However, we only were able to hear the last of Shredder's plan, "Which will destroy them once and for all. Now go."

"We missed it!" Leo exclaimed, then sighed in annoyance, "Oh, great. Nice going, guys."

"We've gotta get April out!" Donnie said, ready to jump off the roof.

Leo stopped him, by placing a hand over his shoulder, "No, if we rush in there, we put her at risk. We wait."

After a few seconds of waiting, Bradford, Fong, three Foot Ninjas and an anthropomorphic arctic fox, wearing a black, hooded shawl, tank top, hakama pants and arm gauntlets. There's only one person I know that wears that color.

"I'm gonna hitch a ride, see where they go." April told us.

"No, you've done enough. Now get out of there!" Leo told April.

However, I noticed Bradford's ear twitching and he turned to look at the corner.

"Bradford heard you! April! Run!" I told April, but it was too late.

Bradford found April and knocked her out. He put her in the black van. The boys and I made our way to the street, but we were too late. The van and Bradford sped off to the corner of the street.

"No! We're too late!" Donnie exclaimed.

Leo tried to reach April over her cell phone, "April. April! Are you there?"

"She's not gonna answer, Leo." Donnie told Leo.

"What do we do?" Leo asked, then started rambling as panic and worry took hold of him, "We gotta get April out of that van. But- but Dogpound's in there, and we're not ready to fight that guy. Aw, Splinter was right! We should've stayed below."

I took a deep breathe and gruffed my voice, "Get it together, Captain. You're our leader! So act like one." I told Leo.

Like that, the panic and worry was gone. Leo looked at me and smiled, "You're right, Elle. That was the anxiety ray talking."

I smiled back at him. There's the Leo I know.

"What, that's it? You're not gonna slap yourself?" Raph asked with a smile.

Leo scoffed and smiled, "Let's save April."

"And our home." Raph included.

"But we'll never catch him on foot." Donnie pointed out.

I smiled, "We're not going on foot."

I touched the screen of my cell phone. Within a few seconds, Donnie's patrol buggy showed up.

I scratched the back of my head, "I hope you don't mind, Donnie. The tracking app also acts as a homing signal."

Donnie smiled at me, but then it turned to worry. The boys and I got our helmets on, strapped ourselves to a seat and sped after Bradford.

"Yeah, this is rad!" Mikey shouted in excitement.

"It's not ready!" Donnie yelled.

We turned a corner and continued down the street.

I smiled and shouted in excitement, "This is so metal!"

"Does it have a radio?" Mikey asked.

"No, it doesn't have a radio!" Donnie answered, then told Leo, "I'm telling you it's not ready!"

Leo changed gear and smiled, "Seems ready to me." He pulled on the steering wheel, and it came off, "Whoa!" He put the wheel back and smiled sheepishly, "Eh, okay, don't pull on that, and we'll be fine."

The boys and I made our way down the street and a few corners, until we were right in front of Bradford and the tanker. The tanker drove straight toward us without any hesitations.

"Raph, get ready." Leo told Raph.

"For what?" Raph asked.

"This!" Leo answered, as he activated a trigger.

My kart seperated from the boys and their cart split in half. I drove behind Leo and the tanker drove right past us. The boys and I turned 180 and sped after Bradford and the tanker.

"Leo! You could've been a little more specific." Raph shouted at Leo.

"Where's the fun in that?" Leo asked jokingly.

We were closing in on the tanker.

"Get ready." Leo told everyone.

Donnie got a good look at the lable of the tanker, "Chlorosulfonic acid?"

A dark and dangerous thought went into my mind. Shredder is a maniac to think this, "Oh no." I quietly grimaced, then I shouted over to Leo, "Leo, I figured out Shredder's plan! That acid is highly explosive, when exposed to water!"

"So if he dumps it in the sewer..." Leo began to summarize.

Donnie nodded, "It'll all be incinerated in seconds, including the Lair!"

Leo gasped, "And Splinter!" Then went serious, "We gotta stop them."

As we drove closer to the van and the tanker, the black van turned a corner and the tanker kept driving straight.

"Donnie! You and Raph stay with the van and save April. Mikey, Ellie, you're coming with me. We have to stop that tanker!" Leo instructed his brothers and I on a new plan.

"You got it, Leo." I replied with a thumbs up.

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, I'm stuck with Raph." Mikey pointed out.

Raph smirked, "No problem."

Raph activated his trigger and Mikey's kart was released. Mikey screamed and shouted as he fell behind.

"Well, that was fun!" Raph smiled in humor.

Leo smiled, "Told ya!"

Donnie activated his trigger and his kart was released. Donnie and Raph turned the corner, while Leo, Mikey and I stayed on the tanker.

"Mikey, Ellie, let's slow this thing down. Fire grappling hooks!" Leo told us.

"Got it!" Mikey and I said, as we fired our grappling hooks at the bumper of the truck. We slowed down, but the ropes snapped.

"Donnie did say they weren't ready!" Mikey reminded Leo.

"I know!" Leo answered with a sigh.

The tanker reached the part of the street where a manhole covering can be found. Bradford jumped off the tanker, picked up the manhole covering and threw it toward us. The covering flew toward Leo. Leo dropped his helmet and jumped off the kart.

"Is that all you got?" Leo asked, sheathing his katanas.

The arctic fox jumped out of the tanker and joined Bradford.

"I'd say that's a 'no'." Mikey said.

Mikey and I dropped our helmets, sheathed our weapons and joined the fight.

The fox smirked at me, "A lizard? I was expecting you'd become a rat, or a mouse." Now that I've heard its voice, I know who the fox is; my sister, Asami. And she recognized me. I'm touched.

I smirked back, "And you turned out just as I thought you would."

Asami glared and snarled, "Was that a joke?" Looked like I struck a nerve.

"Come and find out." I dared.

Asami, Bradford, Mikey, Leo and I dashed at each other and got locked into combat. Bradford was making short work on Mikey, Leo and I. Asami was using her newly enhanced agility to her advantage. Bradford threw us into a construction site. Thinking quickly, Leo threw a smoke bomb to distract Bradford and Asami.

We reappeared on top of the site. We heard a sound of a truck unloading, looked over and saw the Foot Ninja bringing a large hose into the manhole. Bradford climbed his way up and continued attacking us.

"Don't let him dump that acid!" Leo told Mikey.

Mikey nodded, made his way to the Foot Ninja and hit him before he could turn the valve. Bradford and Asami noticed this and turned their attention to Mikey. Leo and I couldn't let it happen.

"Hey, Bradford! Asami! Pick on someone your own size!" I shouted at the canine duo.

This time I wasn't gonna hold back, even if it is my own blood. Leo dashed at Bradford, keeping him distracted, and I threw shuriken stars at Asami. Bradford tried attacking Leo with a car, but Leo was too fast. Asami dodged the stars and glared at me. She was angry. Asami dashed at me, but I rolled over her back and gave her a leg-sweep. Asami landed hard on her back, and she was groaning in pain.

By surprise, Bradford grabbed me by the tail and threw me into Mikey and Leo. Bradford tried to pound us with his large hand, but Leo, Mikey and I dodged. Leo tried to attack Bradford, but Bradford caught him and stabbed his katana into the tank. The tank started leaking yellow liquid with the smell of burning oil. Leo released his katana and the leak became a spill.

Bradford picked Asami over his shoulder, smirked and started to walk away. I thought for a second, and an idea hit me. I'm really gonna hate this.

I looked at the young turtle, "Mikey, throw the water balloon!"

"Uh, what water balloon?" Mikey asked, looking away from me, playing dumb.

"The one you were gonna hit Leo with." I told him.

Mikey looked behind him and there was a water balloon in his hand. He smiled, "Dude, you are good."

I looked at Bradford and shouted to get his attention, "By the way, yeah, it was a joke."

Mikey threw the water balloon at the leak. The acid began to react.

"Hit the deck!" I shouted, grabbing Leo and Mikey's hands and dashed for cover.

The tanker made a massive explosion and I covered my ears and eyes, as the back of my head felt really warm. This indicated fire.

"Nice shot, Mi-" Leo was about to praise, but Mikey hit him with another water balloon.

"Doctor Prank-enstein for the win!" Mikey cheered.

"You had two? Where do you keep them?" Leo asked out of astonishment.

Donnie and Raph showed, only to see the flames engulfing the truck. "Eh, looks like we missed the fireworks." Raph joked.

Leo looked at Donnie and smiled, "Donnie, the go-kart worked great. Nice job."

Donnie smiled, "Thanks, Leo." Then, his smile fell, "And it's a patrol buggy."

I felt a hand tap my shoulder, as Raph's voice spoke, "Ellie, you can get up now."

I stood up and shielded my eyes, by covering my face. "Just keep my eyes away from the flames." I said, my voice cracking in fear.

I felt Donnie put his hands over my shoulders, guiding me through the street. I could tell. "You're arsonphobic?" He asked.

"Long story." I answered.

***Later, back at the Lair.***

The boys and I made it back to the Lair, and Mikey brought a box of pizza to celebrate.

"Nothing says victory, like the sweet taste of pizza." Mikey said, as we all took a slice.

I took a bite of the pizza. It tasted strange. I sniffed and the pizza smelled like it was sitting in a dumpster for a few hours. "This pizza smells kind of funky." I commented.

"Ellie's right. Where'd you get it, Mikey?" Donnie agreed, then asked Mikey.

"It's the one April threw out." Mikey answered.

The boys and I spat out the pizza in our mouths and started gagging. What was Mikey thinking?

"What? We live in a sewer. Now you're clean freaks?" Mikey asked out of surprise, then shrugged, "More for me."

Master Splinter walked in and spoke up, "My sons. Eleanor. I owe you my gratitude and an apology."

Leo looked at his mentor, surprised, "An apology?"

I looked at Master Splinter in worry, "Sensei?"

"Fear clouded your minds. However, it was not the Shredder who fueled that fear, but me. You overcame that fear, and performed admirably." Splinter-Sensei explained, then he smiled, "No training today."

The boys and I cheered, as Master Splinter turned his back.

Then Splinter-Sensei spoke up again, "Unless Michelangelo throws that balloon."

The boys and I turned to see Mikey ready to throw a water balloon at Master Splinter.

The boys got annoyed and angry. Raph voiced all the boys' thoughts, "You are so gonna get it!"

And the boys dog-piled on Mikey. I folded my arms and smiled. I'm glad I chose the right path to follow.


	12. Mousers Attack

Mousers Attack! (F.K.A: Mouserthon).

**Eleanor's POV.**

Good morning viewers. You caught the Turtles and myself at a good time. We were just finishing our weekly training session. The boys and I were working on our slow and steady approaches. However, Raph was taking it bit too quickly and was messing up his form.

"What? Are you fighting a guy in slow motion?" Raph asked, two steps ahead of us.

"I suppose I could do it faster, if I ignored my form, like you." Leo answered, in a sarcastic tone.

Raph glared at Leo and shouted, "Ignore this form!"

Then, the oldest brothers started fighting. Donnie, Mikey and I stepped back, away from the fight. Not having any of it, Master Splinter walked over to the fighting brothers and pinched the side of the necks, paralysing them into submission.

"Competition is an excellent motivator but not when it turns you against each other." Splinter-Sensei told the boys, then instructed, "So now, you will spar two on three."

"Okay, I'll take Don-" Leo started with a smile, but he was cut off by his mentor.

"You will take Raphael." Splinter-Sensei told Leo. Leo and Raph looked at each other. "You two must focus on working together, not competing with each other." Splinter explained.

"Okay, so me and Raph against Mikey, Ellie and Donnie?" Leo asked, then chuckled, "Uh, isn't that a little unfair?"

"Wait, what are you trying to say?" Donnie asked, feeling offended. I couldn't help but feel offended as well.

"Um, how can I put this gently?" Raph wondered, then pointed out, "We're way better than you guys. And, Ellie's a girl."

"Hey!" I shouted, feeling really hurt by Raph comment. I'm a girl, but that doesn't make me weak.

Mikey scoffed, not getting what Raph meant, "At fighting, maybe."

Leo and Raph chuckled, "Uh, that's what I meant." Raph answered.

"Oh? Fine." Mikey said, finally feeling hurt.

The boys and I took our fighting stances. Leo was with Raph, smiling, and Mikey and Donnie were with me.

"**始め**(Hajime/Start)!" Splinter-Sensei instructed.

Raph and Leo dashed at us and were able to beat Mikey and Donnie down with ease. I was proven to be a challenge. But, with a little bit of teamwork, they were able to knock me on to my back.

"**止め** (Ya me/Stop)!" Splinter-Sensei instructed.

"You were right, Sensei. Working together is fun." Raph said with a smile in his voice.

I smirked and tripped the boys over with my tail. I kicked myself up, pointed my eskrima sticks at the boys and activated the taser ends. Raph gulped.

"Looks like the 'better fighters' got out-matched by a girl." I joked with a smirk.

"Okay, Ellie. I see your point." Raph said.

I withdrew my sticks and helped the boys back to their feet. It took a short while for Donnie and Mikey to recover. Now that the training session was over, it was time for the boys and I to kick back, relax and enjoy some pizza.

Donnie, Raph and Mikey were sitting on the couch. Raph was reading one of his comics. Whilst Leo and I just walked in, from the kitchen, with a plate of pizza each. Donnie and Mikey are still feeling hurt for being called weaker than Leo, Raph and I.

"Look, guys. Raph, Ellie and I may be better fighters, but you're still an important part of this team." Leo assured his youngest brothers, as he and I came in and sat down.

"As important as you three?" Donnie asked.

"Uh, very important. We shouldn't compare ourselves. It- It's like apples and oranges." Leo answered with a small smile. Then Space Heroes showed up on the screen.

"Yeah, if apples were way better, which they are." Raph added, muttering behind his comic.

"So the truth comes out." Donnie accused.

"You guys think of us as some kind of... 'B-team'." Mikey added.

Raph chuckled, "Good one, Dr. Name-enstein. We'll call you, 'The B-team'."

"Thanks." Mikey smiled, until he corrected himself, "I mean, hey!"

"There's no shame in it." I assured the two boys with a genuine smile.

"Look, they've got a B-team too." Leo pointed out, as the screen showed Captain Ryan with two other crew members. One was human in an orange shirt. And a green alien with antennea and wearing a purple shirt.

"We'll need backup. You two in the shirts you're coming with us." Captain Ryan said. The two crew members saluted in agreement.

Captain Ryan, Mr. Crenshaw and the other two members teleported to the planet. Once they appeared, Captain Ryan and Mr. Crenshaw jumped out of the way, as two lasers fired at the crew members and killed them.

"Rodriguez and... that other guy... They're gone!" Mr. Crenshaw shouted in dismay.

"Well, that's why we bring them along." Captain Ryan said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I folded my arms at the TV, "I never really liked that episode."

"Thanks a lot." Donnie said in an angry tone.

"The point is, they had an important function." Leo pointed out in the same tone as Captain Ryan, and taking a bite of his pizza.

The silence was broken when April came in through the toll gates. She was hugging herself and had a sad look on her face.

"April, what's wrong?" Donnie asked.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned for my friend.

"I just got mugged by some Purple Dragons. They stole my phone." April answered.

"Don't worry. We'll kick their butts for you." Leo told April with determination in his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll teach those punks to mess with April O'Neil." Raph added, punching his hand.

"Guys, it's just a phone. I'll get another one." April told us.

"Come on. What's the point of being a ninja if you can't help your friends when they get robbed?" Donnie asked.

I lightly shook my head, "April's right, guys. It's best to let this go. Like she said, it's just a phone." I told the boys.

Leo looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean? Why shouldn't we get her phone back?"

"One cannot predict the consequences of battle." Master Splinter spoke up, from the dojo, "Every fight has the potential to stir a hornet's nest. A simple cell phone does not justify this risk."

"What risk? It's the Purple Dragons. Even Mikey and Donnie could beat 'em." Raph pointed out.

"Raphael/Hey!" Donnie, Mikey and I shouted in unison.

"Don't worry, Sensei. We'll be careful." Leo assured.

So, the boys and I dashed out of the Lair and made our way to the Fortune Cookie factory, to pay the Purple Dragons a visit and take April's phone back. Within the factory, Fong, Tsoi and Sid were throwing kunai knives at a calender of turtles. Raph saw an opportunity and kicked Sid into the wall behind him.

Fong took a spit-take and shouted, "The Turtles?"

"'Sup?" Raph greeted in a simple tone.

"Get 'em!" Fong told his gang.

Tsoi dashed toward Mikey, and jumped into the air to prepare a flying punch.

Mikey smiled, and prepared his nunchucks, "Bring it."

Raph called, "Comin' through!" and he tackled Tsoi in mid-air.

Mikey growled in annoyance and anger at Raph. I was able to take down Sid with ease. Donnie and Fong dashed toward each other, until Leo jumped in.

"I got it." Leo called, kicking Fong into the air.

"Hey!" Donnie cried in annoyance and anger.

Tsoi and Fong recovered from their attacks. "Let's get out of here!" Fong shouted.

He and Tsoi tried to make their escape, but the boys and I blocked them. I pinned Fong to the nearest wall.

I lightly smirked, "Hello, Fong."

Fong stared at me, finally recognising me, "Herbshadow?"

I nodded, "You and your gang stole a phone from a friend of ours. We want it back." I told him.

Fong scoffed, "Whatever. We steal a lot of phones."

"Well, let's see 'em. Now!" Leo told him

I let go of Fong and he showed us the stuff his gang stole. Stereo speakers, laptops, an couple of portraits and car CD players.

Donnie looked at the heap of stolen stuff and pointed at a red-covered cell phone, "Hey, that looks like it."

Suddenly, the factory began to shake violently. Some of the lightbulbs cracked and exploded.

"Does anyone else feel that?" Mikey asked.

The shaking got worse and I could swear I heard metallic clanks coming from underneath us.

"What's going on?" Sid asked, looking around.

Raph looked at me, "Ellie, are you-"

"I'm not doing this." I answered him.

Suddenly, the ground underneath us cracked and strange, metallic creatures appeared and screeched.

"What the heck?" Leo asked out of surprise and shock.

The creatures walked over to the stolen stash and began taking it for their own. As the ones leave, more come and take some more. A robbery within a robbery.

"Hey, those things are stealing the stuff we stole." Sid shouted.

Then something hit me, Fong disappeared. "Wait, where's-" I began to ask, then I looked up and saw Fong, making an escape with April's phone. "He's got the phone." I shouted.

Leo looked at Donnie and Mikey, "B-team, get him! We'll handle the metal." Then he looked at me, "Ellie, you're coming with us."

"Hey, we are-" Donnie was about to protest, but Leo cut him off.

"Just go!" Leo shouted, as he and I drew our weapons and began attacking the robotic creatures.

"If you guys can't handle it, don't be ashamed to call for help." Raph told his youngest brothers with a teasing smirk.

"Oh, yeah? Well, maybe you should call us for help. Or don't call us. We'll call you. Wait, I mean-" Mikey tried to insult back, but he got lost in thought.

Donnie placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, "I think they got it."

Mikey blew a raspberry and joined Donnie on the pursuit of Fong. Raph, Leo and I made short work of the creatures. I looked over their design and materials. They were made by the same kind of metal that Baxter Stockman's armor was when he had the T-Pod. This made me think a bit.

A couple of the creatures retreated into the hole they made. Leo, Raph and I withdrew our weapons.

"Come on. Let's see where these things are coming from." Leo told us.

We jumped into the hole and followed the tunnel into an abandoned warehouse. The same warehouse Baxter stayed, or still stays. We entered the warehouse and saw Baxter and the creatures, along with the stuff they stole from the Purple Dragons. As often as I have to say it, I hate it when I'm right.

"Well done, my pretties." Baxter praised his creations.

The boys and I made ourselves known to Baxter.

"Dexter Spackman." Raph greeted, drawing his sais and mis-pronouncing Baxter's name.

"It's Baxter Stockman!" Baxter shouted.

Raph shrugged, "I was close."

Baxter looked at me and asked, "Who's the lizard?"

I lightly smirked, "Long time, no see, Baxter."

Baxter stared at me in recognition, "Eleanor? What the heck-"

"Something lead to another." I answered as simply as I could.

"So you're here to stop me again. Well, you don't stand a chance against my M.O.U.S.E.R.S." Baxter summarized and pointed out.

"Mousers?" Leo asked.

"Mobile offensive underground search, excavation, and retrieval sentries." Baxter answered.

"Seems a little forced." Leo commented.

I shrugged, "I kinda like it."

Baxter smirked at us, "Since my test robbery was successful, it's time to move on to bigger targets. These are about to make me very, very rich."

"And we're gonna make you very, very hurt." Raph snapped back.

The boys and I dashed toward Baxter. However, Baxter smirked and sprayed some red substance at us.

"Acid! Protect your eyes!" Leo shouted.

The red mist covered us, and Raph and Leo started coughing and gagging. I just covered my eyes.

The mist vanished and Raph stopped gagging, "Wait. We're fine."

I uncovered my eyes and looked at my hands. I was unscratched. Yet, why do I feel slightly like I've been tagged by something?

Leo stopped coughing, "You're right." Then he stared at Baxter, "Get him!"

"Get me? No, you will be the ones who will be getting got." Baxter threatened, then got a little confused, "Gotten?" Then regained his composure and pointed at us, "Get them!"

The mousers charged toward us and began attacking. Leo, Raph and I made short work of them.

"All gone." Raph said with a smirk.

"Good thing I made extra." Baxter smirked, pressing a black button on a remote. Inside a tank, we were standing next to, opened to reveal over a thoundsand mousers.

"**あ****, ****撃つ**... (A, utsu/Oh, shoot)" I muttered.

The mousers attacked Leo, Raph and I, but we were able to take them down. However, like the Kraangdroids, the more we defeat, the more come.

"I'm calling it. Time to go." Leo called.

"I'll allow it." Raph agreed.

"I agree!" I shouted.

Leo, Raph and I dashed out of the warehouse and tried to lose the mousers. However, they kept following and finding us. So, we found a way to escape via the rooftops. This game of cat and mouse was not fun, especially if you're the mouse.

"You think we lost them yet?" Leo asked, as we found a place to catch our breathe.

However, our break was cut short, as the boys and I looked over and saw the mousers trying to climb toward us.

"I'd say no." Raph answered.

So, we kept running from rooftop to rooftop.

"How are those things tracking us?" Leo asked.

"It's gotta be that stuff he sprayed us with." Raph answered, thinking about the red mist Baxter sprayed at us.

"All right, we better call Donnie." Leo told Raph and I.

"You want to get bailed out by the B-team? Forget that." Raph asked, then snapped.

Leo looked ahead, "Maybe we won't have to." Leo, Raph and I made our way to a rooftop with a water tank. "Whatever this stuff is, we'll just wash it off." Leo said, as he cut open the pipe and water sprayed over us.

Raph shieked at the water, "Cold!"

Leo smiled, "That ought to do it."

However, his plan didn't work as the mousers found a way to the rooftops and found us.

"Of course, we could call Donnie just to say hi." Raph suggested, running out of options.

Leo, Raph and I tried to take out a few of the mousers, and climbed up the water tank. Leo got out his T-Phone and called Donnie.

"Uh, no. No, of course not. No, we're we're great. I-I'm just, you know, checking to see if you guys need any help." Leo answered, making up an excuse.

I face-palmed, "Really, Leo? Is your pride that salty?"

Leo gave me a sheepish smile and returned to the phone.

"Uh, you know. Good-ish." He answered, then looked down. The mousers were chomping on the water tank's support beams. "Whoa! Whoops, call waiting! Gotta go!" Leo hurriedly said, then hung up the phone. He looked at Raph and I, "You were right. We've got to beat these things on our own if it kills us."

"Leo..." I started, as Raph drew a blank.

"Uh Okay, bad choice of words." Leo said with a sheepish look.

Suddenly, the tank began to feel off balance.

Only one thought came to my mind, "Uh-oh."

The tank gave in and we fell to the concrete of the rooftop. Once the smoke and dust cleared, the mousers charged at us. Leo was right, we had to fight the mousers. We couldn't out-run them.

"Look, guys, mouser-kebabs." Leo joked, as he showed his katanas with mouser heads on them.

I lightly chuckled, as Raph, Leo and I continued destroying the little robots. While taking them out, I examined some of the hardware of the mousers. The cameras that act as the mousers' eyes, were always glowing the same red color as the mist that Baxter tagged us with. Must have something related to gamma microbes, but I couldn't be too sure yet. Raph threw two off the roof.

"These things are a cakewalk." Raph said, slightly out of breathe.

The boys and I made our way down an alley and continued on the mousers, using trashcan lids as shields. A mouser fell into the trashcan, behind Leo, and couldn't get out. Another tried to give us the jump, but we dodged and the mouser fell into the trashcan. From the entrance of the alley, more mousers come. Leo and Raph closed the trashcan and lied it side-ways, ready to be kicked into the incoming mousers.

"Now!" Leo called.

He, Raph and I kicked the trashcan down the alley, but it ony hit one out of five. Back to our weapons again.

"I could do this all day." Leo said, sounding out of breathe and tired, while taking out more mousers.

"Same here." Raph agreed, sounding and doing the same.

However, the mousers got him on to the street. And a truck was coming toward him.

"Raph!" I called, dashing toward him.

"Ellie!" I heard Leo call me.

I tackled Raph away from the road, before the truck could hit him. Leo ran over to us to see if we were okay.

"That was so fun." Raph spoke up, out of breathe. Leo and I helped the red-masked turtle back to his feet. However, again, our break was cut short. More mousers kept coming.

"It's almost too much fun." Leo said.

And with that, we decided to keep running. Leo, Raph and I ran until we arrived at the jewelery store. We stopped to try and catch our breathe, before the mousers show up and decide to turn us into mouser chow.

"Okay, this is crazy." I spoke up, between breathes.

Leo nodded in agreement, "Maybe we should call-"

Raph cut Leo off, "We can do this."

I looked around and saw a street light and a fire hydrant on the other side of the road. An idea hit me, "I got an idea."

I ran my idea to Leo and Raph and they thought it might work. We made our way to the top of the street light and waited for the mousers to show up. After 30 seconds, they did. The mousers looked up and saw us.

"Up here, metal mouth!" Leo taunted, tapping his katana on the light.

The mousers began chomping on the street light's post. Leo looked at me, and I nodded. Leo jumped down and made his way to the fire hyrdant, by jumping the mousers' heads destroying a few along the way. A mouser jumped for Leo but missed and chomped on the fire hyrdant. Water sprayed over the mousers and the street. Perfect.

Raph grabbed my hand and we ziplines to the dryest part of the street. The damage the mousers did on the post caused the street light to collapse and crash into the water. strong currents of electricity coursed through the water, shocking every mouser within range to go offline, which was all of them.

I smiled and shouted, "Booyakasha!" Hey, I see why Mikey says it very often. It's fun to yell.

Raph smiled, "Told you we didn't need those guys."

Unfortunately, more mousers came and dashed to attack us.

"Oh, come on." Leo and I moaned in exhaustion.

Leo, Raph and I ran into an empty warehouse and put a beam on the handles, locking the door. We also leaned on the door, to put more force on it. But, the mousers were stronger than they look.

"Okay, I admit it. I wish Donnie were here. I bet he could find a way to get these things off our tail." Raph admitted.

A mouser was able to break in from between Leo's feet.

"Make the call, Leo!" I told Leo.

Leo got his T-Phone and called Donnie. However, he wasn't answering. Leo tried Mikey, but the line sounded dead.

"Mikey's not answering either. Something's wrong." Leo summarized.

Raph groaned, "I should've known they'd need us to bail them-"

However, Raph was cut off by the mousers finally able to force the door open. Leo, Raph and I continued to destory the remaining mousers, but they just kept coming. How many did Baxter create? It feels like an endless sea of Kraang.

Once we were finished with this wave of mousers, it was only a matter of time until the next wave showed. So, I decided to take the mousers' example; Strength in numbers.

"We need to get to the futon factory. If Donnie and Mikey aren't answering their phones, without a doubt they've got caught." I told Leo and Raph.

Leo agreed with me and Raph just sighed. So, wasting no time, we made our way to the futon factory. Without a dout, the mousers followed us. Leo, Raph and I entered the factory via the rooftop. Bradford, Asami, Baxter and the Purple Dragon were inside with Donnie and Mikey tied up in chains. Leo and I called it.

"The Turtles and the Traitor!" Bradford alerted, while Asami growled.

"Not so fast, Dogpound." Leo told Bradford, then saw Baxter, "And Dexter Spackman?"

"Baxter Stockman!" Baxter corrected in annoyance.

Bradford charged toward us and aimed to pound us with his large arm. Leo and I dodged and made our way to Baxter. Raph distracted Bradford. Baxter reached for April's phone, but Leo stopped him and I took the phone.

"How did you escape my mousers?" Baxter asked.

I shrugged and glared at him, "We didn't."

Right on cue, the mousers showed up. They showered on all of us, except for Donnie and Mikey. During the confusion, Leo cut Donnie and Mikey free from their chains.

"We're here to save the day, as usual." Raph told his brothers, saying the last part in a bored tone.

"Oh, yeah. Looks like you guys were doing great." Donnie remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"You try fighting off 2,000 robots!" Raph argued, pointing at the incoming mousers.

"Let's beat it!" Fong called his men, as they made their escape. Cowards...

The turtles and I fought the mousers, while Bradford and Asami were trying to fight off the mousers as well. I realized that they really wanted April's phone, so an idea hit me.

I looked at Mikey and shouted, "Mikey! Keep away!"

I threw the phone and Mikey caught it. Bradford and Asami noticed and started chasing Mikey from the second floor. Donnie destoryed a mouser and picked up the same thing I did before.

He gasped in amazment, "Whoa! A gamma camera." Then he explained, "It detects radioisotopes. That must be what he's tagged you with."

I smiled, attacking more mousers, "Thanks, Donnie. Thought it had something to do with gamma microbes!"

"Oh. How do we get it off?" Raph said, then asked.

"You can't. It wears off gradually. But if someone else got sprayed, they'd give off a stronger signal." Donnie answered, destroying more mousers.

Mikey was able to keep away from Bradford and Asami, until he tripped and dropped the phone. Asami smirked and picked up the phone, while Bradford raised his hand, aiming to pound Mikey to the ground. Donnie hit Bradford with his staff and I gave Asami a high-kick in the face. The force caused her to dropp the phone. Asami growled and glared at me.

"We gotta get Stockman's spray. It controls the mousers." Donnie told us.

"You mean that thing?" Mikey asked, pointing at Baxter.

Baxter smirked, "I'll handle this, dog man and fox lady." He showed the same spraycan he sprayed Leo, Raph and I with, "One spritz and they're mouser chow."

Raph threw two shuriken stars at Baxter's spaycan. The red mist leaked out of the can and covered the trio. The mousers stopped attacking me and the boys, and started attacking the recently sprayed trio. Baxter, Asami and Bradford made their escape. Bradford heard a phone ringing and picked up April's phone.

I couldn't let it happen, I muttered, "I'm sorry, April." And I threw my tanto at the phone, breaking it into pieces. Asami and Bradford glared at me.

"Hang it up, Dogpound. Your call just got dropped." Donnie told Bradford.

The mousers dashed at the trio and the trio made their escape by breaking through the nearest wall. The mousers followed them closely behind.

"Nice job, guys." Leo praised his brothers.

Raph smiled, "Yeah, from here on out, you're the 'A-' team."

"That's probably the best we're gonna get out of him." Donnie said to Mikey.

Raph gave Mikey a noogie, and the rest of us made our way back to the Lair.

_***Later, back in The Lair...***_

The Turtles and I gladly made it back, and now it was time to kick back and unwind. Mikey did some breakdancing, Raph was spending his time with Spike, Leo, Donnie and I were relaxing and playing pinball.

Master Splinter walked in, "I hope you all see that by choosing your own battles poorly, you created your own crisis." He told us.

"Yeah, there's definitely some irony there." Donnie shrugged.

"Okay, it got a little out of control, but we learned our lesson." Leo admitted.

I smiled and shrugged, "And at least we got April's phone back."

April turned up and heard what I said, "You did? Sweet."

She walked over and Donnie gave April her phone. However, it fell into pieces in his hand.

I scratched the back of my head, "Sorry, April. The mission involved some complications."

"Uh, the important thing is it didn't end up in the wrong hands." Leo added in my defence.

"Gee. Thanks, guys." April thanked in a fake tone.

Donnie smiled, "Uh, don't worry, April. You can have one of my custom-built T-phones."

He gave April a T-Phone with her signature color on the display screen.

April smiled and took the phone, "Ooh, cool."

Mikey joined us and advised, "Just don't say, 'T-phone, self-destruct.'" Then, April's phone sparked and smoked up, "Or else that happens."

"Mikey!" I shouted, as Mikey ran off somewhere.

I shook my head at the youngest brother. I hope he gets his chance to shine and not do something stupid.


End file.
